


The Psychotic and the Brave

by AWX, Lexy0918



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Abuse, Aged-Up Character(s), Angst and Humor, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Clowns, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Graphic Description, Homophobic Language, Horror, Inappropriate Humor, Intense, Non-Consensual Touching, Patrick Hockstetter is His Own Warning, Pennywise (IT) is His Own Warning, Psychological Horror, Psychological Torture, Rape/Non-con Elements, Richie Tozier is a Little Shit, Smut, Suspense, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2019-10-15 20:54:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 35,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17536094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AWX/pseuds/AWX, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lexy0918/pseuds/Lexy0918
Summary: Ben Hanscom and his older sister Lexi have only lived in Derry Maine for a couple of months. They can already tell this town isn’t like any of the others they’ve been in. With the help of the Losers Club, and possibly even the Bowers Gang, there could be a chance that they’ll survive the summer. Maybe.





	1. And so IT Begins

All across the town of Derry, Maine eyes were fixed expectantly on clocks. It was the last day of school for the kids. That meant parents steeled themselves for their childrens' long months of being home. Store owners were either excited for the boost of their sales or anticipating the worst out of troublesome kids. Said adolescents, however were buzzing with energy. They were ready.

Finally...the clock struck 3 and the school erupted in commotion. Students spilled out into the hall, eager to catch up with friends for the obligatory yearbook signing. You weren’t considered cool unless you had the signature pages in the back completely filled. Hence the reason some were running around frantically trying to locate those they’d missed during the school day. Those signatures were desperately needed. However, the less frantic population of students were taking just a little bit longer than necessary to clean out their lockers and gather their things. The common consensus among them was that they might miss a certain group of bullies. 

“C’mon Bill, let’s go already!” said a nervous Eddie as his eyes frantically roamed the halls for the dreaded ‘Bowers Gang’. Bill suspected they’d taken it easy on him and his friends this year due to his brother. Bill knew that grace period had come to an end. Especially considering the short but brutal conversation he’d had with Patrick Hockstetter right after lunch earlier today. Not that you could really even call it a conversation, of course. Any encounter with Hockstetter or any of the other members of their gang never equated to a conversation. 

The tall, lanky boy had sauntered up to him, cool as could be, and then shoved him hard into the lockers. Bill shudders just thinking about how Patrick had pressed himself against him and whispered, “I got a present for you after the bell faggot." Bill hadn't even fully registered the oily words before pain exploded through his cranium. Patrick had smashed his head against the metal before leaving Bill alone. Even now, the boy's head still slightly throbbed. Although Bill suspected his anxiety about the Bowers gang was justified, which kept him distracted.

Thankfully though, Richie, with his disgusting form of comic relief was able to bring his distracted friend back into the present. “Bill, seriously. Patrick said he’d give me a wedgie so fierce I’d be able to taste it,” said Richie as he dramatically waved his arms. This earned a shake of Bill's head. It didn't deter Richie though. “I don’t want to be able to taste a wedgie Bill.” This earned him a scoff from their other friend Stanley. He rolled his eyes as he added to the conversation. “I think he meant you’d be able to taste your underwear, or maybe that you’d shit yourself and that’s what you’d taste.”

Eddie made a retching noise but was drowned out by the bespectacled boy.  
“Speaking of that,” Richie began as the others stared at him in disbelief. They couldn't believe that there was actually a topic to transition to. “You think they’ll sign my yearbook? ‘Dear Richie, sorry for taking a hot steaming dump in your backpack last March’.”  
Bill snorts, slamming his locker closed and speed walks towards the exit, making the others follow after him. “I-I w-wouldn’t c-count on it R-Richie.”

The boys walked quickly through the halls. Hope was blooming; they could see the light of promising sunshine and there was no gang in sight. They were almost free! As they came upon the exit, the freshmen scanned the courtyard carefully. Not a bully in sight! There would be no mega-wedgies and no beatings. With excited grins, the boys admired such a perfect way to start the summer. The sun was shining bright in the sky, the temperature warm but not humid. Truly it was the perfect day, and it was theirs. 

They walk through the open double doors as Bill tells them about his plans for the Barrens.  
“You know I can’t Bill. I start my training.” said Richie. The others stop at the bottom of the steps and turning to him.  
“What training?” asked Eddie. The boy gives his friend an exasperated look.  
“Street Fighter, duh.”  
Eddie snorts. “That’s really how you want to spend your summer?” Eddie judgmentally asks.  
Richie doesn’t even bother trying to hide his grin. “Beats spending it inside your mother.” He holds up a hand looking at each boy for a high five. “Am I right fellas?” He was met with nothing.  
“You’re disgusting.” Eddie says as he walks past his friends towards the trash can. It was time for the annual dumping out of the backpacks. 

Bill and Stan joined him soon after and Richie was about to as well, when a girl comes barreling up the sidewalk catching his attention. The expression on her face was harsh and determined. She shoved past the boys and knocks Richie to the ground in the process. “Jesus!” he shouted, fist shaking in the air. “School's out for the summer ya know! You’re supposed to be charging in the opposite direction!” The girl didn't reply or even acknowledge his words.  
Shaking his head, Bill holds out a hand to his fallen friend, “W-wh-what's her p-pr-problem?”  
“She must be on her monthly.” Richie says, almost as an afterthought as he gets pulled up.  
“Honestly Richie, is that your answer for everything?” Eddie asks incredulously.  
“You’re right, I bet she just saw your mom getting out of the shower, Eddie. That would make anyone lose their shit.”  
“Shut up Richie.”

Unbeknownst to the boys, the girl had heard their little comments. Especially the one from the little twerp wearing glasses. Gah, the things he said were not only weirdly blunt but disgustingly amusing. But his little quip about her menstrual cycle had her irritation piqued. Just because a woman was in a mood did not mean she was bleeding! The little cretin really needed a filter.

Scoffing, the girl fought the urge to turn around. It wasn’t her fucking time of the month, thank you very fucking much. Moody she may be, but it had nothing to do with her cycle. No something else much more pressing and vexing was the focus of her mind. Were she not in such a hurry, the female upperclassman would cave to her desire and turn around to tell the disgusting little boy exactly that. For good measure and to really make the lesson stick, she'd punch him straight in the mouth. Maybe a busted lip would teach him to think before he spoke. With a groan, the girl trucked on and fought the urge again. She really wanted to turn around.

Alas there was something far more important to take care of, like saving her little brother's life. Somehow her brother had managed to dodge the Bowers gang ever since day one at Derry High. Honestly it thoroughly impressed her, as they’d moved to town a couple of months before school ended. Seriously, how her baby bro managed to slip away unscathed every time was a mystery to her. But he had and each failure was fuel for them to keep trying. Hence the sense of impending doom clouding her mind.

She knew it wasn't for her, as the boys had never bothered her. That lead her to believe she didn’t have to undergo the new kid initiation beating like her brother. She had wondered if it was because of her gender or the fact that they were all in the same grade. Admittedly, she kind of wished they’d had the balls to try. She’d love to punch the mullet right in the face. Ben though, well her little brother wasn’t so lucky. Henry was furious that Ben had managed to slip past them for so long and Patrick was clearly taking it as a personal offence.

They’d both been announcing that “today is the day the new kid gets his ass beat” ever since Belch's Trans-Am parked in the lot. The girl knew that at the tender age of 14, her brother's pride wouldn’t be able to handle the blow it would take if his sister saved his ass from a major beat down. Like she cared, because no way in hell could she just stand by and do nothing. He would eventually get over it. 

The girl jogs through the hallways. Her eyes shift constantly for her short, chubby brother. But he was nowhere in sight. Calling his name is out of the question of course. Lord only knows where Henry and his chucklefuck friends could be hiding out. Sighing, she mused about a baffling enigma of the gang. If they used even half of the determination and dedication on studying as they did on catching and beating the snot out of freshmen, she had no doubt they wouldn't be in danger of failing. Whether it was good or bad luck, they were struggling just as much as she was to locate Ben. So when the back entrance came into view, the girl sighed and mumbled “fuck it" before pushing both doors open to walk outside into the sunshine. If they’d found him she’d have heard about it. They’d want it to be as public as possible so his humiliation was on full display.

Walking down the winding, narrow path to the sidewalk, the girl pulls out her slightly smushed pack of cigarettes. As she slips one in between her plump lips, her eyes land on what looks like a head of vibrant red hair. It was just barely visible above the large mass of shrubbery that decorated the schools back lawn. Lighting her cigarette, she walks around the bushes and comes face to face with her brother and a red headed girl that seemed faintly familiar.  
“What the hell Ben? I’ve been trying to find you for like the past 20 fucking minutes. Bowers and the doofus brigade are looking for you.” 

Ben jumps at her angry words. He turns to face his sister with a sheepish look. Perking a brow, she notes the bright red blush her brother was currently sporting. Smirking she came to the conclusion that he had a serious crush on the girl. He was acting like a fumbling, bumbling buffoon as he struggled to reply and keep his art project balanced on the handlebars of his bike.

“Sorry sis,” Ben said sheepishly, his blush deepening. “I uh, I was trying to avoid them...uhh by leaving this way and then I uh….” His companion finally smiled and stepped forward. “And then he ran into me,” the red head said, saving them from several more minutes of Ben struggling to form words. She held out a sender hand and introduced herself sweetly. “Hi, I’m Beverly Marsh.”


	2. IT’s Just Part of Life

It clicked the second the girls name was out of her mouth. Lexi gave the girl another once over. She was cute, the elder female had to admit. Beverly had pretty red hair failling about her shoulders, a pixie-esque face, and a bright inviting smile. It was no wonder rumors spread like fire about this petite little girl. Beverly Marsh was the supposed slut of the school. Rumors of her sexual adventures reached even those in grades above her. The most famous rumor though, was that she had even slept with someone in the Bowers gang. It was whispered that the mullet himself had snagged this pretty thing. 

Looking at her now though, the sister had a hard time believing that any of it was true. The longer Lexi gazed at the girl, the more she fidgeted slightly. Bullshit, all of it. There was more to this girl, the elder sensed. So Lexi cracks a smile and grabs the girl’s hand. “Alexis Hanscom, but please don’t ever call me Alexis; it’s Lexi." Beverly smiles even more and it’s such a warm and kind smile that Lexi instantly feels even worse for the girl. There was a pureness to that smile and it tugged on the upperclassman's heart strings. The innocent little thing didn't deserve the rumors floating around her. 

Lexi smiles back though, even with her heart filling with pity. Beverly shakes her hand firmly and steps back a bit. She fixes her gaze on Lexi and the elder notes the age tinging the girl's own gaze. This girl was definitely more than a pretty package and didn’t strike Lexi as one who would enjoy being pitied. So instead, Lexi changes the subject. “Thanks by the way for helping keep my brother from being beaten into paste. I’d have a hard time explaining to my mother why I had to bring him home in a jar. Bowers and his gang are ruthless.”

Beverly's face falters briefly before the smile returns full force. “Oh, of course, it wasn’t a problem at all. Turns out we have quite a lot in common.” She winks at Ben who flushes slightly and grins. She smiles at Lexi again before she walks by them to exit the school grounds. “See ya later new kid.” Beverly calls and throws one more smile over her shoulder as Ben waves. It is so intense that he knocks his art project off the handlebars of his bike. His blush was almost blinding as he bends down to pick up the broken pieces.  
“Sometimes I question if we’re actually related.” Lexi deadpans. “I just don’t think it’s possible. You have to be adopted.”

Ben snorts and gives his sister a look. He’s used to Lexi's harsh sense of humor so he knows she’s joking. His sister would do anything for him; they were close as could be. Aside from their mom and aunt, they only had was each other anymore. As she bends down to help him collect his broken project, he sees the grin that forms on Lexi's lips. And once the pieces were all collected and safely zipped inside his backpack, she gives him a crushing hug. She pulls back and ruffles his hair, making him swat playfully at her hand. “I’m glad you’re not paste Ben. But I don’t know where Bowers is so take the back way home ok?” Ben nods as he gets on his bike, eyes still trained on his sister.

He worried about her too. While the gang had never made a move toward Lexi, Ben wasn't so sure they wouldn't use her to get to him. “I’ll head around front and see if they’re still up there and try to figure out what’s going on.” Ben nods again but he looks about ready to faint. “Ok sis.” He says quietly. The elder Hanscom notes the tone. Lexi rolls her eyes and runs her hand over his sandy brown hair, getting it nice and messy. “Stop worrying about me. I'll be fine. You be safe. I’ll see you at home baby bro.” Ben swats at her again. “Aww c’mon Lexi.” Ben says irritably, swatting at his sisters hand. “I’m not the baby.” He scowls as she laughs. “Course you are,” Lexi says loudly as she starts heading towards the sidewalk. “It’s by default since I’m older!” Ben’s only response is the middle finger as he starts peddling away.

As Lexi walks around the side of the school, she’s surprised to see the two yellow buses still parked by the entrance. ‘Ok maybe I wasn’t really looking for him for 20 minutes….’ she thinks to herself. She hops onto the grass with a shrug and passes by several groups of students with yearbooks in their hands. With interest, she notes the losers she mowed through earlier are still here too. She thought they would be gone by now. That thought is definitely reinforced as she gets closer to the main entrance and the staff parking lot comes into view. Parked right in the front next to the principal’s spot was the Trans-Am belonging to Belch.

They were still at the school….so why were those losers still there? Lexi groans with realization, of course Bowers would still be here. The mullet wouldn't leave without trying to find Ben. She makes a noise of irritation, turns around, and walks over to the singular tree that decorated the front lawn. Time to play look out. Leaning against it, she watches the losers circle around the trash can and dump their school things inside with a raised brow. They were chatting up a storm and she couldn’t help but overhear the conversation between the curly haired boy with the weird little hat and the one with the ridiculously thick glasses. 

They’re shaking their bags over the trash and the curly haired one groans with satisfaction. “This feels so good,” he says, clearly referring to the emptying of their backpacks. But the one with the glasses- who Lexi thinks is named Richie- pushes said glasses up his nose and guffaws. “Oh yeah? Try tickling your pickle for the first time.” The other boy doesn’t look amused. In fact, the eye roll he gives Richie is so judgmental and disgusted that Lexi can’t help but feel jealous over his skill. He puts his empty bag back on his shoulders, as does Richie a few moments later, and they wait patiently for the others to finish. The tallest one is taking a particularly long time though. 

He’d brought up his brother and was trying to convince the others to help him with. His brother is missing just like the girl, Betty something, Lexi realizes. The upperclassman also notes that the tall one isn't being met with the reaction he hoped for. And after Richie brings up how the girl would be found in a ditch somewhere, covered in maggots, and smelling like Eddie’s mom's underwear, an argument breaks out. Shaking her head, Lexi watches the group squabble on and with twisted amusemnt watches them remain oblivious to four advancing troublemakers. The whole group becomes so immersed in their conversation over the missing brother and something called the Barrens, that they don’t notice the quickly approaching danger until it’s literally on them.  
"Run you idiots," she mumbles to herself. But the losers can't hear her, of course, and Lexi continues to watch as the older boys spread out around the freshmen. Belch sneaks up behind the small boy named Eddie. When he was inches away from the kid's head, he burps wetly in the younger boy's ear. The kid flinches away, his hand flying up to his mouth and looks about a second away from puking. Lexi chuckles at the odd shade of green he turns even as she feels bad for the kid. That burp must have truly been disgustjng to elicit such a response. She reaches into her pocket, swipes her cigarettes, and lights one as Henry grabs Richie's backpack. Sucking in nicotine, Lexi watches Henry give it a hard yank. The boy is still attached which makes his stumble backward.

Richie bumps into the kid with curly hair and the duo end up tangled on the ground. Lexi flinches in sympathy; it was a hard fall and had to have hurt. While Henry was busy with Richie, Patrick had focused his attention on the other fallen freshie. He crouches down next to the younger boy, snatches the small round hat off his head, and stands. To the boy's horror, Patrick tosses it through the window of the departing bus. Lexi can't help but feel impressed even as Patrick cackles happily at the freshman's teary gaze. “Nice Frisbee flamer," he snarks with a devilish smirk.

The blonde of the Bowers gang high fives Patrick. To add insult to injury, he gives the lawn a harsh kick, making wet earth shower over the freshman. The boy tightens his little hands into fists and Lexi idly flicks her ashes wondering if the boy would actual take a go at Hockstetter. A bit dumb, considering the size difference but the girl would definitely give the kid props for it. With a snort, Lexi shakes her head and takes another drag. Her attention switches when a shout breaks the silence. “It’s a Yamaka you inbred asshole!” Richie yells from the ground. Lexi almost chokes on smoke. Well, well, little four eyes had balls. Balls which were now on the line as Patrick’s eyes narrow dangerously and his lips form a line. Richie whimpers as the dark haired bully stalks towards him. “What did you call me?” Patrick growls.

Lexi flicks the smoldering cig butt away from her and questions whether the boy's underwear was soaked with piss right now. She could just make out the profile of Patrick's face and it was dangerous. And Richie knew it was he stammered around his words making absolutely no sense. Lexi almost groaned when curly hair decided to play hero. She understood the need to retaliate; all four younger boys had anger and humilaition shining in their eyes. They wanted vengeance, not that Lexi could blame them, but she didn't see the point in antagonizing the gang. “He was implying that you’re a product of incest," curly hair matter of factly states. Patrick's entire body freezes and Lexi groans when the stupid kid opens his mouth again. “It might be above your educational level.” 'Oh you poor stupid, dead kid. You just had to open your big mouth, didnt you?' Lexi thinks with pity as Patrick rounds on him. A powerful fist is raised but the tallest of the losers steps forward making Lexi shake her head. These freshmen were either really ballsy or too stupid to know when their lives were at stake.

“You ssssssuck Hockstetter! L-leave us a-alone!” the girl hears the boy stutter out. Time freezes. All eyes were on the tall loser. And then, to Lexi’s amazement, the bigger boy and the blonde had in fact begun to back off. But it wasn’t because of the boy's stuttered words. Their eyes were wide and they were looking at something behind the kids' heads. Lexi shifts her gaze from the scene in front of her, wanting to see what had put the fearful look on the boys' faces. It was a cop, and he was glaring right at Henry.

The cop watched Henry, who hadn't noticed the newcomer, with angry eyes as he gets right in the younger boy's face. “Y-y-you sssssay sssomethin Bu-bu-bu-billy?” he asks, cruelly mocking the boy's stutter. Before the loser can reply, the other elder boys backed off even further and call out Henry’s name. Annoyance painted on the leader's face, he looks at the others. Perking a brow as they continue pointing at the cop behind him he notes their expressions are all void of gleeful cruelty. It made him stop in his tracks and turn his head. When he turns back, Lexi notes the now furious expression on Henry's noticeably paler face.

It was obvious Henry wasn’t done with the losers yet. Lexi knew he wouldn't end it there. However to the girl's amazement, the mullet takes a few steps back from the boy with the stutter and points at him. “You got a free ride this year cuz of your brother Denbrough, but that ride is over. Next time I see you, you’re dead.” With a glare the gang's leader turns on the rest of the losers. He points at them as well, “You and your faggot friends are all dead.” His eyes jump back to the cop briefly before he turns and walks away. He passes the other boys and makes a b-line for the Trans-Am, calling out for Belch, Patrick, and Vic to follow. 

The two more obedient boys had immediately fallen in line behind their leader. Patrick, however, was much slower to leave. When he’d turned, he’d noticed the girl leaning casually against the tree. Had she been there the whole time, just watching the freshmen get bullied? Was she even real? His greenish-grey eyes roam her body and wasn't disappointed. She was a tiny thing, with the feet, hands, and waist to match. Even under the dark clothing Patrick could see the perfectly subtle curves she boasted. Ashy brown-blonde hair fell in soft waves to a great rack and her face wasn't bad to look at either. Smirking, his eyes contiuned to study her, hitting her eyes last.

They were narrowed in a glare and were looking right at him. The expression on her face, paired with her crossed arms, and tensed body promised death to any who approached. It made his cock harden slightly and he wanted nothing more than to try. But he knew Bowers would beat his ass if he made them wait- not that he minded getting his shit kicked in once in a while- but now wasn’t the time. No, Patrick had a feeling he’d need a lot of time with this one, and with significantly fewer people around. Especially considering what he wanted to do to her, he thought with a dark chuckle. Patrick gives her his evil half grin, eyes roaming once more. She cocks a brow, hand raising. Patrick cackles madly when she flips him the bird as he walks away.


	3. Could IT be Real

Lexi keeps her glaring eyes locked and raised finger firmly in place until Patrick got into the Trans-Am. His head and gangly arms hung out of the window as the loud and roaring engine came to life. He didn't say or do anything, but Lexi was sure he was looking at her as Belch reversed and began pulling forward toward the exit. Lexi could feel the intensity. It was unnerving to say the least. Only once they’d left the school's property did she remove herself from the tree and head for her truck. Even as she crossed the grass to the lot, the girl swore she could still feel his dangerous stare.

Her mind was still halfway focused on what she’d seen as she reached the door of her old, dulled, colbalt pick-up. The door creaked as she wrenched it open and tossed her bag across the seat. The door banged and with a jingle of metal, she inserted her key in the ignition, but paused before cranking it up. Her eyes were drawn upwards and the girl glanced in her rearview at the tree. Her fingers twitched toward her pocket for her cigarettes.

Watching the exchange had been enlightening to say the least. Those freshman losers standing up to the Bowers gang was both incredibly brave and unbelievably stupid. She wondered idly what the boys had done to gain the gang's wrath. Had they even done anything? Or was there something else was going on. It was clear though, that out of all the members of the Bowers gang, Patrick was the one to be nervous about. There was something dangerously off about the boy and the girl had to admit it just drew her to him more. He was a mystery she wanted to dissect and keep to herself.

Sliding her shades over her eyes, Lexi sighed. The truck spluttered obnoxiously to life and she cranked the window down. The girl expertly backed out while slipping a cigarette between her lips. As she headed toward home, her fingers twisted the volume up on the radio before Lexi sparked her lighter to life and lit the end of her cancer stick. It wasn't a long drive home, yet Lexi still enjoyed the moment of time for herself to clear hwe mind. She pulled in a deep inhale of smoke and grinned as good song switched on from a tediously long commercial. Her head bobbed a bit to the beat and her grin widened as she recalled listening to the same song with Ben just the other day.

Her grin slipped a little when her brother fully took focus in her mind. Lord knows she loved Ben but ever since moving to Derry the little shit had been annoyingly clingy. He even went so far to try and persuade her into getting a ride every day instead of taking his bike. Lexi was loathe to admit the kid was persistant. And after some convincing, they’d worked out a plan. She would take him and his bike to school, and then he would ride it home or wherever he wanted to goe after. It was clear the town freaked him out so she took pity on him. Not the people, the town itself, though he never specified why. But to be honest, she wasn't even sure she wanted to know.

Scoffing in annoyance as she pulls onto her street, Lexi's already sure Ben hadn't done as asked. Lexi pulls along the curb and takes one last pull off her cancer stick before flicking the smoldering butt onto the pavement. Yep, he wasn't home; the empty patch of grass where Ben always leaves his bike was fucking empty. Her gaze flicked to the driveway. Ben wasn't home and neither were her parents, lovely, who was going to accept the jar filled with the remains of her brother? Lexi grinds her teeth in annoyance. 

Bowers was going to find him and the mullet was going to obliterate her baby brother. She wipes a hand down her face in exasperation. Ben was a moron for not going straight home. Throwing the vehicle into drive, the girl heads toward the library, teeth grating even harder. Ben was a creature of habit, and it might just be what gets him caught. She was absolutely positive the girl would find her younger sibling there, but Bowers might be thinking the exact same thing.

Sure enough, as Lexi nears the library, another vehicle lies in wait for the very same person that the girl was so focused on. Of course that's unbeknownst to the Lexi and the Bowers gang. As she’s pulling into the parking lot, the others were already parked in the far corner behind a large white van, waiting patiently for Ben to leave the library. Somehow the little twerp had ducked them at the end of the day, so they’d settled on the losers, but Henry was still pissed. It was even worse though, because his dad had seen him, so he had to leave Richie and his flamer friends behind as well. But it was all better now, they’d found the fat kid. Henry was over the moon! He’s finally going to get a hold of the chubby fuck. Of course they'd have to wait for the boy to exit the library, but it would be worth it. 

"What's got you grinning like that Patrick?" Belch asks after eyeing the boy in the rear view mirror. Vic and Henry look out the window to follow their dark haired friend's gaze. The boys watch the tiny upperclassmen adjust her bag and bump the door shut with her hip. Her fingers comb lazily through dusty brown hair before she slides her shades up to rest on top of her head. "She's pretty," Belch comments offhand making Patrick glance his way.

His attention was diverted from their driver when Vic groans. He quirks a brow when the brunette notes his blonde friend looks like he ate a lemon. "Dude, what?" he asks makinh Henry look at Vic sharply. "Think that's Ben's sister." Henry scowls at the news; this could mess up their plans, but Patrick just chuckles. "Don't worry, I'll take care of her." The statement causes the others to laugh knowingly and set their sights back on the curvy girl disappearing into the building.

Lexi walks into the library and immediately scans the many large wooden tables for her brother. It made her a little sad as she looks over each head. The library was busy, but all the people in there were seemed to be adults. Ben was by far the youngest person in there for sure. That meant it made the young chubby boy incredibly easy to find and she easily found him. He was stationed at one of the tables on the far side of the room and the sight of him makes Lexi raise her brows.

An impressive collection of massive, old looking books were laid out around him. They were all open with multiple pages marked. Lexi wasn't surprised the boy had used smaller books to mark others by laying them open atop the bottom tomes. The elder Hanscom saunters over and Ben barely looks up as Lexi joins him. Nor does he take note as she begins picking up books. He does however speak up when she starts flicking them shut to look at the title of them. "You better have bookmarked those pages." Lexi chuckles at the growled whisper coming from the fluffy haired, ducked head of her brother. "Don't get your panties in a wad. I'm not that cruel," she says and wants to sigh when she notes every single book was about Derry's history. She does roll her eyes though. "Not that you need it. Bet you know where every section you need is in every single book. Hell I bet you know where one specific sentence is."

At first, Ben doesn't say a word, but then he finally marks the page of his book and looks up. He subtly places what looks like post card into his bag, not wanting his sister to get her hands on it. His ears turn slightly pink and he can’t meet her eyes. She’s about to question but immediately gets cut off. She groans with irritation, of course it was the same spiel; Derry isn't like any other town they’d ever been in. This causes her to roll her eyes even harder and despite this most definitely not being the first time Ben had voiced his opinion about the darkness that seemed to cling to Derry, Lexi dutifully asks him to explain.

He pointedly told her about the explosion that happened on Easter at the Derry Ironworks in 1906. With a saddened tone Ben recalled that 88 children were killed. And there was one part in particular they scared him, one of the kids in the explosion lost his head. There was a picture of it sitting up in a tree that made Ben go pale as he told his sister. All of this had a clear meaning. It was his belief, that the factory was a recipe for dark entities of the slain children. He starts to rant on about another major incident but his voice fades as something catches his eye. Lexi looks up and shock washed over her. A red balloon floats lazily past the table. It's floating high enough that the that the bottom of the balloon is dead even with the table and the string is dragging along the ground. Furrowing her brow, Lexi notices immediately that as she follow the balloon, no one else is turning to look at it. With wide eyes, they watch as it floats to the end of the room and stops. with the table and the string is dragging along the ground. With wide eyes, the siblings watch as it floats to the end of the room and stops.


	4. What Does IT Want

Glancing to her brother, they exchange a look. Before Ben could stop her, Lexi reaches over and pinches the younger Hanscom sharply on the arm. He winces and bites down on his lip to keep from yelling out. He shoots her and accusatory look while furiously rubbing the smarting flesh on his forearm. She shrugs; it should be obvious that the girl was making sure this was all real. Lexi wasn't going to pinch herself after all. "No one sees it right?" He asked, looking back to the balloon. Lexi wanted to smack her brother. She had to admit she was curious, but following that freaking floating blob of red had bad idea written all over it. 

Glaring, Ben flicks his gaze back to the red balloon once more, before Lexi groans and tilts her head. Glancing to the librarian, they both stand from the table and cautiously walk towards the balloon. When they neared, the rubber orb slowly moved it’s way towards a set of open double doors. It was heading down the hall, the one that lead to the basement. The siblings look at each other as the balloon disappears through the doors and into the hallway.

Lexi chewed her lip as Ben instantly trudged forward. She paused, glancing back. No one had followed them. Though it made things much easier, it stil struck her as odd. Shrugging, Lexi turned back and felt her eyes widened at the distance Ben had already covered. So she hastened her pace to catch up to a very deteremined Ben. When they too hit the hallway, the siblings stop dead. The balloon is gone. It had vanished right inside the double doors...but how? Even more perplexing, was the baseball sized egg sitting on the ground seemingly left in its place.

The egg looked like it was burning. The blackened shell had thick cracks running through it and they emmitted an orange/red hue. The contrasting color looked like the crackling coals from a dying fire. Ben gulps. Oh no. He was so determined before, no way was he chickening out now. When she'd followed her brother, adrenaline flooded her veins. Even now, it pumped energy and fearlessness into her. So, with a nudge to his ribs and snarky remark from his elder sister, they start walking. They pass the egg and see yet another, then another, and another. The duo glance at each other again and come to the same conclusion: the egg trail is leading them somewhere, and it was more than likely going to be the basement.

In silence, they follow the trail of slowly burning eggs until they hit the stairs of the basement. Ben halts and shakes his head vehemently. The lights weren’t even close to bright enough to make this anything but terrifying. Lexi rolls her eyes. "Don't wuss out on me now Ben. You wanted to know all about Derry. This could be what you're looking for." Ben instantly puffed his cheeks in a scowl at the insult. He brushes by his sister, knocking into her shoulder as he descends. Lexi rolls her eyes at the childish retaliation but follows her brother with triumph.  
“Even though this is most definitely a trap.” She mumbles as an afterthought, but walks down the steps behind her brother anyway.

The basement is filled by towering shelves completely stocked with boxes. The room is musty with dust and lit dimly; it was just enough to make out a path. Under that light, the siblings see that there's one final egg waiting for them. Neither of them move; they simply stare. This has bad horror film murder scene written all over it. But it seems the duo is frozen in fear. Neither blink nor twitch a muscle. Suddenly the lights flicker and Lexi tenses with apprehension. She feels Ben bump against her as fear takes over her baby brother's mind. Ben whimpers when soft, creepy, girlish giggling echoes around them and the lights continue to flicker. Thoroughly creeped out Lexi has no problem waiting for Ben to gather his wits. Sure she was uncomfortable, but at least she had the balls not to show it. At least not yet. She glanced around the room. It looked like a dark maze of shelves.

Finally, the duo both slowly take a few more steps into the room. The giggling continues with every step. But then...then the duo hear a noise that makes them freeze. It was an odd yet distinct noise. A slight whoosh of air, a tinkling crack, and wet splat of something hitting the ground. Lexi cocks her head as the noise sounds again. Her heart freezes as she pinpoints the noise. Eggs, it sounds like eggs are being dropped. Both of the brunette siblings slowly turn around and Ben lets out another whimper. Lexi chews her lip as she sees a pair of legs standing at the top of the stairs.

Shrouded in the shadows, neither of them can make out who was there. They didn't have to wait long though. The legs move and the only sound to be heard was the clacking of boots on concrete as the figure descends. Soon the newcomer's waist is in sight. Then their stomach. Lexi furrows her brow; their clothing clearly wasn’t from this time, and they're holding an armful of eggs... Which means the noise had come from them. The figure keeps coming, unsteadily at that, so a couple more eggs fall from their arms. Each cracking explosion of the delicate food has Ben flinching. Their upper torso is in sight...now the duo see up to their shoulders. Another couple of wobbly steps the siblings can see their neck....and their lack of head...It was utterly terrifying, how were they moving?

Then the siblings notice the smoke slowly billowing out of their neck. Lexi feels Ben grip her arm tightly. She looks at him and sees realization in his face. "It's the kid from one of the books I was reading about Derry's history. He died from the explosion; they found his head in a tree!" he squeaks. Fear intensifies in his face.  
Lexi turns just in time to see the thing open its arms, letting the rest of the eggs splat on the ground. There was something seriously bad about that gesture and the elder Hanscom wasn't sticking around to find out what it would be. Lexi curses and snatches her brother into motion as it hobbles down the steps faster. It's clear the thing is coming for them, so the elder sibling leads them deeper into the room even as shelves on both sides box them in.

Ben is running noisily behind her. He's sniffling and whimpering in fear. Lexi couldn't deny she was pretty terrified but that couldn't stop her. She had to protect Ben. Sparing a glance over her shoulder, she nearly groaned when she saw that the thing was still chasing them. Yanking on Ben's arm, the elder urges them both to go faster. They almost crash into a shelf as they round a corner. Lexi spares a look back again and has to choke down a scream. 

It's gone. The headless creature is gone but in its place is something so much worse. This time it's a clown after them. And it is very much obviously not a a kid friendly one from the circus. No, with a mouth unnaturally open and filled with razor sharp teeth, and eyes a terrifying shade of yellow, there is no way the clown was anything less than evil.

Ben whines as she urges them even faster but understands immediately when he looks back as well. The creature cackles and shouts at Ben, “Egg boy!” The siblings are both running so fast that when they turn around to look ahead of again, they both smack into the librarian, sending her armful of papers flying.


	5. IT’s Real

They’d decided to keep it all quiet, not like anyone would believe them anyway. Ben was still shaking when they’d walked back into the main room, so badly that Lexi hadn’t wanted to leave him alone. But nature had called and her brother was a little old to go into the girl’s public restroom with his sister. So she’d told her brother to grab his bike and put it in her truck, after what they’d seen; she didn’t want him riding home alone. At first he’d declined, he didn’t want her to be alone either, but after promising she’d be quick, he reluctantly agreed. It was cute really, even though Ben was terrified, he was still concerned about his older sister. The thought made her smile warmly as she walked into the restroom.

Once Lexi was finished, and only after checking to make sure Ben hadn’t forgotten anything at the table, she walks outside. Irritation immediately takes over when she sees the blue bike laying in the grass. Pulling her glasses down to protected her eyes from the blaring sun, she walks toward the parking lot. Ben’s backpack was in her truck, but he and his bike weren’t. “What the actual fuck?” she grumbles to the empty lot as she slowly makes her way back up to the front. She was confused as shit, pissed off and more than a little concerned. Did the thing they’d seen earlier take him? It couldn’t have right? Somebody would have surely noticed a ridiculously tall clown with a forehead the size of a basketball walking around the Derry Library…. Wouldn’t they….?

“Something missing princess?” Lexi jumps, her eyes looking around madly for the lanky fuckers location. “And by something, I mean your fat fucking faggot brother.” Patrick says with a joyful guffaw. He’s leaning against the stone wall of the library, long, thin legs crossed at the ankle. He winks at the girl as he casually smoke his cigarette, looking like he doesn't have a care in the world. Because he doesn't and to Lexi, that made it so much worse. He knows what happened to Ben, he pretty much admitted it when he asked. So how could that gangly piece of shit not give any kind of fuck about her and her brother? It was blatantly clear that this wasn't just some act for her benefit. No, he really didn't care. 

 

Lexi rolled her eyes, even as her fingers itched to reach for her own cigarettes. As the nicotine filled cloud wafted around Patrick's grinning face, he studied the girl as she continued toward him. Her glare was fierce, but the fear for her brother broke through the rage. "Don't fuck with me Hockstetter. I know you and your fucking friends did something to him."  
The grin on Patrick’s face only grows, this one is going to be fun, a challenge. He watched her for a moment longer, to figure out her act. What was she trying to do? Because on the surface it looked like she was trying to piss him off and act all tough, as though he didn’t frighten her. Or maybe she was just stupid. He couldn’t wait to find out. “I didn’t touch a hair on his fat fucking head. Go bitch at someone else little girl.” He pushes himself from the wall and walks down the steps, his unbuttoned shirt billowing slightly in the summer breeze as he moves. 

After tossing his cigarette into the grass he makes sure to bump into the girl as he passes which makes her growl and rub at her shoulder. Lexi reaches out and snags his wrist. Her nails latch into his flesh as he instinctively yanks away. When he turns to her, she can see the irritation in his eyes. It made her nervous and she instantly regrets touching him. She could tell there was something wrong with Patrick, he was different. The way he was treated at school by not only the students, but the teachers as well was a testament to that. It was the same in each of the classes they shared. He would sit in the back doing who knows what, and the teachers never called on him or questioned him on his lack of homework. He was left alone, everyone was scared of him. But at the moment, she couldn’t let that deter her. If mullethead didn't have Ben, then who could? The clown from the library? The mere thought made Lexi want to panic. She had to get him to spill. 

Patrick stared at the girl when she narrowed her eyes at him. "Look here you fucking asshole, you may not have hurt him, but there are three others in your group and they aren’t here. And I know for a fact that mullet haired fucker you follow around is itching to get at Ben. So spill it, where are they?”  
Patrick whistled, his eyes roaming Lexi’s small frame. “You got fire in you girl, where could you possibly be keeping it all?”  
Lexi made a loud noise of frustration, angry tears forming and threatening to spill from her eyes. First the murderous clown and headless boy, and now the psycho and his retard friends. She couldn’t win. “Patrick, tell me where my brother is!” She shouted before taking a deep, shaky breath. “Please…”

Smiling in absolute glee over the sisters distress, Patrick cackles devilishly. She was truly coming undone, and it was happening right before his eyes. It’s delicious, one of the hottest things he’s seen in awhile. It makes him want to take her, right there in front of the library. He wants to rip her apart, take what he needs and leave her for someone else to deal with. But he can’t, because then he wouldn’t be able to see the horror and anguish on her face when she sees what’s happened to her brother. No, she still has farther to fall. So he’ll take her to the fat fucker, and then he’ll have his fun. The idiot girl will follow him, blindly. He’ll be her savior, and she’ll have no idea he’s actually the devil.

“Fine princess, I’ll take you to your brother. But you owe me.” He winks, as he walks over to her truck, leaving her standing in the grass. As he leans casually against the passenger door, he pulls out another cigarette from his pack resting in the pocket of his shirt. He watches the sister, waiting for her to make a move. “I’m not going to wait here all goddamn day now.” He chides with an amused expression.  
Lexi blinked in surprise, was...he really helping her? Confusion welled up inside her. The girl had been a mess of emotion before, but now all she could do was stare at the retreating boy. Lexi wanted to breathe a sigh of relief because at least that meant that evil clown didn't have Ben. Well at least she hoped. She raked her eyes over Patrick's form. He couldn’t be psychotic enough to be in cahoots with the clown, could he? But the headless kid...it wasn't natural. Far more unnatural than the darkness Patrick seemed to have, but less so than that clown. 

Lexi shook her head at the thought. No there was something....different about that clown. It seemed as if the creature hadn’t even really wanted to catch them. It was more like….more like it just wanted to scare them. Because of that, it was obvious the clown wasn’t the culprit. Which meant Ben had to be with Bowers. That outcome wasn't favored either but at least the gang was human. She could deal with human; she could handle patching Ben up from a beating. Even though she had no doubt that she was going to be seriously in trouble for not protecting Ben. Reality snapped her to attention when she heard Patrick call out to her once again. 

Flushing slightly even as she glared at Patrick, Lexi hurried to the truck. She kept her mouth shut as she unlocked her door and climbed in. The boy waited patiently as she leaned over to unlock his. As he climbed in, Lexi debated asking Hockstetter about the clown. While she really wasn't looking forward to seeing what his friends did to Ben, she knew that the longtime Derry resident may have answers.  
Chewing her lip, Lexi reached for her cigarettes. "Hey, Hockstetter," she started before slipping the stick between her lips and lighting it. Patrick spared her a lazy glance. "There anything creepy about this town dealing with clowns?" she asked while exhaling smoke.  
Patrick snatched the cigarette from the girl’s fingers, using the lit end to light his own. After, he holds hers out, offering it back. With a raised brow, he replies, “I’m going to need more than that princess, we’ve got plenty of fucking clowns here in Derry.”

Lexi chuckled and retrieved her cancer stick. "Coulda used the lighter in the cup holder," she remarked, hiding her slight annoyance. There was something more to Patrick, besides the bullying and craziness. She wanted to find out what it was, she wouldn’t be able too if she bitched about every little thing. He wouldn’t like that, he would close himself off even more. The girl took a deep drag before exhaling heavily and replying to Patrick. She was going to be honest with him, no holding back. "First off, let me clarify that I'm not crazy. But...like an evil clown that lives in the basement of the library and comes out when a headless body chases you, after you stupidly follow a red balloon down there?" The words are rushed, blunt, and totally bullshit free. Lexi wanted to smack herself, because her swift explanation really made her sound crazy, but all Patrick does is snort. His greenish eyes are focused on the road in front of them as he speaks, he’s got no goddamn idea why he’s sharing anything with the girl but he can’t stop himself. When she’d said red balloon, he knew she wasn’t crazy.  
“There’s always been something wrong with this place, none of the adults notice it though.” He shrugs, putting a booted foot up on the dash, “not sure how much of the shit is us and how much of it’s whatever’s out there though. But there is definitely something out there…. and whatever it is….it’s not good.”

Lexi wants to bang her head against the steering wheel. "Well fuck. Guess that means Ben was right." Patrick looked over at her, as if waiting for an explanation. Lexi shrugged. "Ever since we moved here Ben maintains that there is something seriously wrong with this town. He was looking for more history on Derry when that balloon appeared." Lexi hurriedly sucked in more nicotine. She was rambling. Patrick though, he was silent. Him and the gang always thought they had a sort of guardian angel, or demon, something that kept them from getting in trouble when they went after kids. As long as Henry’s father wasn’t around of course. Now though, now he wasn’t so sure. He remembers seeing a red balloon in most of the cars who would pass them by on the bridge. Adults who would ignore them when they had kids with them to torment. Couldn’t be a coincidence, coincidences aren’t real.

Lexi drove in silence, finally remembering she had no clue where she was supposed to be going. Patrick was so deep in thought he didn't notice the girl pull her truck over and call his name. It worried Lexi. Did Patrick have a similar encounter with clown? Or was there something even worse plaguing the boy. Hesitantly, she placed her hand on his arm and spoke. " Ya know Hockstetter, while I'm enjoying this drive, I haven't got a clue where I'm going." Lexi says humorously, cracking a small smile.  
“Alright Hanscom, calm your tits I’ll give ya directions.” Patrick fires back. “We’re going to the most famous spot in Derry, the Kissing Bridge. It’s in the Barrens, so you’ll need to keep on this road like you’re heading out of town.” He points down the road and takes another hit of his cigarette. Looking utterly unphased by their conversation, and the confused look Lexi was giving him. The lanky boy chuckles as he drapes his arm over his bent knee. His boot was still propped up on the dash, and he was completely at ease.


	6. IT kills

While Lexi was dealing with the devil of the Bowers Gang, the members of the Loser Club were spelunking in the Barrens. Bill was confident some trace of his brother would be found in the sewer tunnels. He’d made an elaborate copy of the sewer system with piping based off blueprints he’d borrowed from his father. The drain where Georgie had disappeared ended at the very tunnel they were standing in front of now. They would find him here, Bill was sure of it. Now if only he could convince his friends to join him inside…

“That’s poison ivy and that’s poison ivy and that’s poison ivy” Says a concerned Stanley, pointing to every single plant in their vicinity.  
“Where? Where’s the poison ivy?” Eddie asks in panic.  
Richie sighs, slightly irritated. “Nowhere. Not every fucking plant is poison ivy Stanley.” They all turn, the sewer tunnel is right in front of them, but they weren’t eager to step inside. It was smelly yea, but it was also pitch-fucking- black, and none of them knew what they would find inside. There was something about the tunnels, ominous and unnerving. Even though it was a bright, sunny day outside, the world seemed to change- growing closer to the darkness of the tunnel the longer they remained. Richie picks up a stick and pokes it into the water to distract himself but stops immediately when Eddie hesitantly takes one tiny step forward. The smaller boys’ eyes were wide with fear as he peers into the dark, unwelcoming abyss.

Bill was far more determined than the rest of the group. He was the furthest into the tunnel, flashlight in hand and eyes searching. This did not sit well with the smallest member of their group. Eddie was looking around in disgust and he can’t help but shake his head. His feet were still safely on the gravel, mind still on the mysterious plants near the entrance. He couldn’t believe Bill was just charging on forward like it was nothing. He had to put a stop to this nonsense. “Ok. Well I’m starting to get itchy now and I’m pretty sure this is not good for my-“  
“Do you use the same bathroom as your mother?” Richie asks, cutting the smaller boy off as he finally takes steps into the concrete abyss after Bill. He knew what Eddie was doing, the kid was a puss.  
Eddie shrugs, even though Richie’s facing away from him. “Sometimes yea.”  
“Then you probably have crabs.” Richie fires back as if his statement is the most obvious thing in the world.  
Eddie glares at the back of the guffawing boys head. Both him and Stanley still haven’t taken a step inside. “That’s so not funny.” 

Richie takes a couple more steps into the darkness, his footsteps loud and echoing off the walls. But it was only his footsteps, their search party was two members short. “Aren’t you coming in?”  
Eddie shakes his head, a disgusted look on his face as he points downward.  
“Nuh-uh. That’s greywater.”  
Richie sighs in exasperation, “what the hell’s greywater?”  
“It’s basically piss and shit.” He raises both of his hands, as if he’s surrendering. “So, I’m just telling you, you guys are splashing around in millions of gallons of Derry pee. So…” Richie lifts his stick. Holding the end that had been in the water up to his nose and Eddie nearly loses it. “What are you-Are you serious? What are you-“  
Richie cuts him off once again, shifting his dark magnified eyes over to Eddie. “It doesn’t smell like caca to me senior” he states in a terrible Spanish accent.  
Eddie rolls his eyes, disgusted. “Ok, I-I can smell it from here.”  
“It’s probably just your breath wafting back into your face.” Richie says, moving his hand in front of his face like a fan.

Eddie scoffs, he’s had enough. “Have you ever heard of a staph infection?” He asks, almost yelling.  
Richie laughs, a grin on his face as he holds his stick in front of his crotch, “Oh, I’ll show you a staph infection.”  
Eddies beside himself at this point, babbling on about how unsanitary the situation is. Not even paying attention to Richie, who was trying to pick up some random clothing item out of the greywater. “This is literally like swimming inside of a toilet bowl right now. And have you ever heard of Listeria?”  
Richie tosses the wet mass at his hysterical friend.  
The boy screeches in horror. “Are you retarded?” He yells, voice stammering from his hysteria.  
The others had grown quiet during his rant, having noticed Bill picking up a shoe deeper in the tunnel.  
Stanley swallowed thickly, his voice cracking from fear, “Oh shit! Don’t tell me that’s….” His question died before it was finished but everyone knew what he was inquiring.  
“N-no. Georgie wore galoshes.” Bill replied as he examined the dirty white women’s shoe. He notices writing on the inside, on the underside of the tongue and he pulls it back. “It’s Betty Ripsoms, she was here.”

The other boys slowly back away from Bill and out of the tunnel. They all wore matching expressions of fear, none of them wanting to deal with something like this during their summer break….or at all really. Even the pleading expression on Bills face wasn’t enough to convince them to stick around. So, the group exited the sewer tunnel together, still bickering about how stupid they were for being out in the Barrens. They all stopped dead and Eddie even let out a small shriek when a very out of breath and dirty Ben Hanscom landed on all fours in the small river. Richie stares at the dirt and blood covered boy in amazement, “What the fuck happened to you?” He asks loudly.   
“Henry.” Ben forces out between pants as he struggles unsteadily to his feet. The others rush over to help him as Eddie begins an entirely new rant over making sure to not get any of the boy’s blood on them. Together, they all decided it was best to take Ben with them and they would be making a much-needed stop at the Pharmacy.


	7. IT Poisons

After parking her truck on the side of the road, and grabbing a flashlight from her glovebox, Lexi follows a reluctant Patrick to the bridge. She puts the light in the back pocket of her jeans along with her keys as she scans the woods surrounding them..  
They’d quickly determined the bridge was empty -and after some persuading from Lexi- decided it was best to search around the lake. Even though Patrick told her he'd help find her brother, it appeared he wasn't going to do it with a smile on his face. Ever since they'd arrived at the empty bridge, the mood of the dark-haired boy had soured. She could hear his frustrated grumbling as he descended the steep hill of the Barrens a few feet ahead of her. He had hoped the kid would be on the bride with Henry, looking by the water and sewers was not his idea of a good time. The Barrens were notorious, all kinds of rumors had sprung up over the years. Most revolved around the Sewers, the massive drain tunnels that were supposedly full of monsters. There were many stories about the monsters, dark, scary ones that always ended with the death of whoever dared investigate. It was all bullshit of course, Patrick didn’t believe a word of it. But he would have been perfectly content with never having to find out.

The tall teen was regretting his decision to stay behind more and more as they ventured onward. He hadn’t gotten any action from the boy’s spitfire of as sister, nor had he seen any violence forced upon the brother. But all was not lost. Depending on what state the kid's in when they did eventually find him, Patrick's mood could significantly improve. See, Henry had told him earlier about the plan to carve his name into the fat fuckers’ blubber. It was his punishment for dodging them, and the reason why they'd taken Ben to the bridge in the first place. The Kissing bridge was famous, it was the place kids went to for two things, sucking face and carving names. Plus, none of the adults who drove past them on the bridge ever said a word or tried to stop them. Each car had a red balloon floating in the back seat, and the conversation he had with the girl confirmed that the balloon was the reason why. This reason also makes the bridge the preface place for the fat fucks punishment, so Patrick can’t comprehend why it’s empty.

As they curve around a particularly intense clump of trees, Patrick's slim fingers slide into the left front pocket of his jeans. He fingers the pocket knife inside and shivers as he tries to visualize the bloody and gruesome state the kid could be in when they get to him. If only he'd decided to stick with Bowers. He could be getting off right now, watching Henry slice into the kid like a thanksgiving turkey. Instead he's stuck with a pissed off sister and half a hard on in the fucking Barrens trying to find the fat piece of shit. Something hadn't gone according to plan. The fact that they were in the Barrens at all wasn't a good sign. And lord knows what Henry would do to him since the kid got away, since that’s clearly what happened. Even though his reason for staying behind was to keep the sister out of the way, there was no doubt in Patrick's mind that this would be blamed on him. 

As they continued down the large hill, yelling drew their attention over to a clump of thin, sickly looking trees. The voice was loud, angry and of course it belonged to Henry. He was livid about something and that made Patrick smile. The boy chortled happily as he changed directions to follow the angry yelling. As they walked in between the trees, Henry was the first one the walking duo focused on. His entire head and neck were a bright red and his face was scrunched up in fury, but Patrick knew better. The boy was scared shitless. Him and Vic were both down on their hands and knees, frantically shifting piles of leaves around in front of them. Vic looked utterly terrified and panicked, his gaze constantly shifting between the ground and Henry. And when he noticed Patrick and Lexi, his fear only grew.

"Lose something boys?” Lexi asks joyfully having noticed the look of rage on Henry’s face. Patrick snorts, but doesn’t say anything. He knows this mood of Henry’s, it’s fear. The boy had never been good at dealing with what he called ‘weak emotions’ Something has him scared, and Patrick would bet his life that it has to do with his father. The man was the police chief, a hard ass who got off on making his son's life a complete nightmare. When Henry did even the smallest thing wrong, his father was quick to beat the snot right out of him.  
“Fuck you slut.” Henry spits back, otherwise ignoring her completely. He’s too busy shoving leaves and sticks around, his anxiety and anger increasing every second he searches.

Patrick bends down, kneeling in front of his friend. He wanted to get things rolling and with Henry in this state, it wasn’t going to happen on its own. “Whatcha looking for Henry?” He asks cheerfully.  
“My fucking knife you retard. My dad’s going to fucking kill me."  
Patrick felt a wave of pleasure rush down his spine at the mention of the knife. He pictures Henry slicing into the young boy’s fat and he fights back a moan. Clearly something had caused the older boy to lose his knife, so what the fuck happened? The name calling was unnecessary and the pleasure was quickly replaced by fury. He chuckles to cover up the rage that was filling his insides. Henry called him a retard, but he wasn't the one frantically searching through piles of leaves like a scared little bitch. "Why’d ya lose your knife buddy?"  
"It fell when we chased that fat fuck down here.” Henry seethes. "Vic and Belch were holding him against the railing but he kicked me and flipped backwards over the side. I sent Belch after him.

Patrick looks to Lexi, smirking proudly as he continues speaking to Henry. “Oh yea? Hanscom gave ya the slip huh?” His eye contact with the girl continued, even when Henry finally decided to give Patrick his attention.  
His eyes are narrowed, rage making them wild, glaring daggers at his friend. Both weren’t happy with how things had turned out, and tempers were flaring. But who would snap first? Lexi was terrified.  
“Yea, he did you goddamn asshole. Wasn’t hard considering you weren’t fucking here, too busy trying to get your dick wet inside his sister.” Henry all but yells.

Lexi makes a weird squawking noise. The comment had taken her completely by surprise. Her usual calm  
demeanor had vanished. "What the fuck dude? Who says shit like that?"   
Patrick smiles, seeing this girl getting continuously shoved out of her comfort zone was delicious. But the smile quickly fades, Henry was continuing to push him, how dare he suggest that the plan failed because Patrick wasn't there. The three remaining members -one of who was Belch who was about the size of Henry, Vic and Patrick put together- couldn't handle one chunky freshman...and Henry thinks him being there would have made a difference? Bullshit. He’d outsmarted them, simple as that.

Patrick shoves a hand back into the pocket with his knife, he wants to gut the pathetic pussy like a pig. But he doesn't, instead he stands and takes a couple steps back from Henry. And only after he's sure the boy is out of arms reach, does he continue. Wouldn’t be wise to cut the fucker, especially because of his Sheriff father. His greenish-grey eyes roll over towards the girl and he winks. "You say that like it’s no longer a goal, Henry." He says with a chuckle and a creepy, wide smile.  
Lexi's cheeks were a light pink, but whether it was from rage or embarrassment, Patrick couldn't tell. Not that he had a problem with either option, he didn't give a fuck what the girl was feeling. The only thing he cared about was being entertained.

"That's fucking disgusting." She says bluntly, trying to make her voice sound serious and believable. Maybe then she would be able to believe it herself. Then she'd be able to blame the thrill that ran through her body on something else. She needed to change the subject, immediately. She took a deep breath, "What the fuck did you do to my brother Bowers?"  
Henry snarls, “Not what I fucking wanted too, bitch, that's for damn sure." He hop’s to his feet and advances on the small girl. The look of pure rage on his face makes Lexi swallow her rude response and take several steps back instead.  
Patrick guffaws, "Outplayed by a fat fucking freshman, look how far you've fallen Henry."   
His remark made the other boy stop dead, forgetting his earlier rage toward the girl and focusing entirely on his friend. Vic's head shot up for the first time since Lexi and Patrick had walked over. His blue eyes were so wide they looked to be in danger of falling out of their sockets.   
“You’re losing your touch Bowers. Maybe I should give you another lesson, show you how to use your hands.”  
Nobody spoke to Henry like that, NOBODY, and it showed. Even Henry looked surprised, if only for a few seconds before his entire head and even his neck turned bright red.  
"The fuck you say?' He spits as he charges towards Patrick like a rampaging bull. He doesn't stop until their noses are literally touching. He holds a shaking hand up, pointer finger directed at Patrick, "The fuck you say Hockstetter?" Henry asks again.


	8. IT Corrupts

Lexi was in shock. As her gaze jumped between the two teens, the only thought she could muster is that there was so much wrong with what was happening in front of her. Patrick has turned on his friend; he is bullying the bully and they seemed to be locked in a stalemate. Whatever was going on between the two of them seemed to stem from something far deeper than she or Vic could possibly guess at. A glance at the blonde boy clued the girl in that he is just as lost as she is. Not only did Henry look angry and nervous, but embarrassed as well. Though he was trying his best to hide it; the slight dusting of a blush and shifting eyes displayed betrayed that effort. And it is definitely an emotion Lexi never thought she’d see on the face of Henry Bowers. 

She stumbles over to Vic who was still kneeling on the ground looking completely lost and utterly distraught. It is obvious the boy did not like what was going on between his friends. She holds out a hand to the blonde, figuring the search for the blade had been abandoned. Even if it is for the moment at least, the boy could take a break. Vic takes it, and she helps pull him to his feet. Once standing, he mumbles out a very quiet "Thank You," before dusting off his pants. Lexi had noticed he was the quietest of the group, and that could be said even when he is picking on the younger kids. He would mess with them of course, but often did so without saying much. Vic is very much a follower, not a leader like the two going toe to toe at the moment.

Once he was on his feet Lexi leaned towards him, yet she still hadn’t taken her eyes off the two feuding boys. "Is this a common occurrence?" she asks. Though Lexi suspects she already knows what the answer would be.  
"Fuck. No." Vic whispers back sounding terrified. Great. Neither of them knew what was going on, nor what was going to happen. It is making the duo nervous; especially since Patrick still hadn't replied. The dark haired boy was just staring at Henry with that malicious grin. 

Suddenly, Henry shoves Patrick and the grin fades as he stumbles backwards. Henry looks smug as shock splays across the dark haired teen's face at tge assault. But the smugness disappeare when Patrick chortles and rushes forward, getting right back in the other boy's face. "C’mon Henry, let me show you," he intones darkly as his head tilts to the right and eyes stay wide and unblinking. "It'll feel good just like before." A shiver runs up Lexi's spine and the darkness of Parrick's tone. It makes Henry's face drain of all color so quickly Lexi thought for sure he'd pass out. The mullet haired teen jumps backwards and hus hands fly up in the air to display a very prominent surrender. It makes her jaw drop; Henry Bowers looked completely petrified. Whatever the fuck just happened, it was very clear who the winner was. And it is most definitely not the mullet. Lexi turns to Vic, hoping for some hint over what the actual fuck Patrick was talking about. To her dismay, Vic was looking at her hoping for the same. 

They leave Henry and Vic after several tense minutes of eye contact between the two angry boys. Despite the clear surrender, it seemed like the mullet haired bully still refused to look weaker than he already had. Though Lexi felt it did no good. Patrick obviously had shown that while he followed Henry's orders, he was clearly the scarier of the two. And the mullet knows it too. Henry refuses to even acknowledge they were there after he finally turned from Patrick, dropped to the ground, and resumed the search for his knife. However, his face had turned a bright red and his lips were turned down in a permanent frown. So with a snort, Patrick spins on the spot and walks down the hill without a word. Lexi gives Vic a shrug and stumbles after the lanky, dark haired boy. 

She blames the seemingly stupid idea to follow the deranged boy on her worry for Ben. But she was lying to herself. She was insanely curious about what had transpired between the two bullys, however it was clear that Patrick was in a mood. Watching him turn that scariness on Henry was terrifying enough to witness, but bringing that bad attitude to focus on herself made her hesitate. Was asking him worth the risk of another blow up? Would he try and go after her? Or would it not affect him as badly as she feared. She honestly couldn’t decide. 

“Fucking Christ Hanscom, I can hear you thinking. If you wanna know, then fucking ask.” Patrick says, annoyed which startles the girl from her inner musings. She gives him a side eye glance. He still looks pretty pissed but what the hell. He brought this on himself for prompting her. Lexi sighs. Here gies nothing. “Fine. What the hell was that Hockstetter?” she asks, mocking his use of her last name with his own.  
Patrick smirks, the girl had guts. Nobody talked to him like that. Time to throw the little spitfire for a loop. “When we were younger, I gave Bowers a hand job.”  
Lexi gasped. “No!” She says in disbelief. Patrick nods, “Yea. It’s always just been him and his dad, and lord knows the man wasn’t going to teach him about the birds and the bees himself,” he says as if that explained everything.  
“So you took advantage of him?” Lexi fires back.  
“Yea, I guess.” the boy says with a shrug, “But I know he liked it.” Because clearly that made it ok in Patrick’s eyes. “I asked him to let me show him and he let me. Never told me to stop either.” Lexi had no reply.

It was quiet after that. Lexi was trying to wrap her head around what Patrick had told her. She just couldn’t comprehend how he felt no remorse over what he’d done. Even though it’d clearly had a major affect on the other boy. If Patrick was so ok with doing something like that to one of his closest friends, what would he do to her? Not to mention, could you even consider Henry one of his friends? Did Patrick even consider him a friend? This boy is so very different from anyone else she’s known. It was almost too much. And it wasn’t until they’d made it to the river that she had the confidence to speak to him again. “You think Belch found my brother?”

Patrick snorts, “Belch is dumb as a bag of rocks...so no, I don’t think he found your brother.” The girl is sure her face is expressing the immense relief she feels right now but Patrick either doesn't notice or simply ignores it. Lexi nods but a frown tugs her lips down, “So why send him then? Doesn’t Henry want to find Ben?” Obviously, Lexi doesn't want Henry to find Ben, but the mullet surely knows his friend better than her so why send Belch when even Patrick is so certain the boy won't find her brother? Why would the leader resort to that?  
“He would’ve sent me, but I wasn’t there. That’s why he’s pissed. He got outsmarted by the kid and I wasn’t there to save his delicate ego.” Ah. That explained it and so much more for the girl.  
“And he obviously couldn’t send Vic because he needed help finding his knife.” The girl says understanding. Obviously Henry would want the more competent on in such a pressing matter.

She was finally getting some insight on the members of the Bowers gang. Slowly but surely, and it seemed her previous assessment about Patrick being much more of an asset than Bowers led on was correct. Patrick nods, “Yep, Henry needed the intelligent one to help him find that dumbass knife.” She wanted to laugh at her correct assumptions coming straight from Patrick's pretty lips. They fall silent after that and Lexi puts in more concentration as they traverse the barrens. The foliage is thicker now as they get nearer to the river. Lexi hisses when spiny bushes and overgrown grass snags at her legs. Finally they reach the rocky bank and the girl is fully grateful to get away from the brush.

They cross the river silently and make it to the white gravel paths where the sewer tunnels begin. Lexi looks at them with wide eyes. There were dozens of them all in a row. Trees grew atop them, which left the entrances partially swathed by dead roots and leaves. The path is pockmarked with fallen wood and potholes where nasty water pooled. The girl took in the amount of still structurally sound tunnels once more. She suspected there were even more of them, out of sight after the river curved. That made Lexi uneasy. Her brother could be hiding in any one of those tunnels, scared out of his mind and alone. The darkness took over only a few feet past the entrance. Without a light, Ben could easily get lost or hurt and who knows how long it would take to find him. She only had until dark, as that’s when her brother's curfew kicked in. If she hasn’t found him by then, all hell would break lose.

Lexi cautiously approaches the first tunnel. She stands right on the edge where gravel and cement meet and peers inside the rounded entrance. It was eerily quiet, not even the sound of rats or other small mammals is present.   
“Kinda creepy isn’t it,” says Patrick as he takes long strides to come up behind her. That was an understatement. Creepy and horrible smelling would be the two words used to describe it. “Yea, I just can’t see Ben wanting to be anywhere near these.” She mused trying not to let Patrick's presence almost directly behind her get to her. The feeling is both exhilarating and unnerving. 

Patrick glances at the girl. She does not want to go into those tunnels. Immense unease is written all over her face, but as is the iron resolve of determination to find her brother. Interesting.  
“Well what if the tunnels were the lesser of two evils? Would he go inside then?” The boy asks and the question instantly shoot irritation into her expression.“You mean like picking between scary tunnels and getting beaten up?” Lexi snaps back. “Yea then he’d go in, especially if he knew he was being chased.” A grin splits his face and Lexi wants to punch him. “Well there ya go.” Patrick replies cheerfully, and it's plain that either he is not picking up on the bite in her tone, or the far more likely option, the boy is just not giving a fuck about it at all. The girl wants to rip her hair out, because the lanky boy is completely correct. Lexi sighs. 'Alright Hanscom, time to put your big girl panties on and find your idiot brother,' she thinks before focusing on the tunnels. 

Patrick sees the girl's resolve and elbows her. Grimacing at the bony assault she glares up at him, but he presses his finger to his lips. Her own press together at the silent order for silence and he tilts his head toward the path along the entrances. Nodding, they srt off quietly scouting for Ben and listening intently for any kind of noise. They’d split up after the first few steps; Patrick was further ahead trying to be as quiet as possible. His knees were bent so that he was crouching as much as his long legs would allow. The crunching of the gravel under his boots was barely audible at his slow pace. And that’s when he hears it, faint splashing sounds. Patrick's head cocks to the side and his lips twist into an almost frightening grin. The little shit really was hiding in the sewer tunnels, what a fucking moron. “Over here princess.” He calls out, twisting his head back to make sure the girl heard him. 

She had and was hurrying over to him. He pulls a zippo from his pocket, and Lexi pulls out her flashlight. They wouldn't be able to see a goddamn thing in those tunnels without them. "Your brother's got some balls princess, I’ll give him that." Patrick says, sounding slightly impressed as he slowly makes his way into the tunnel. He hopes it’s the girl's stupid brother. He really didn’t want to be near the grey water for no goddamn reason. 

The smell is….strong to say the least as they enter the sewers. It's a foul mixture of shit and piss with dash of the rotten stench of death that no doubt came from the creatures that made the sewers their home. The girl didn't know what was worse, wading ankle deep in the horrid water or the prospect of a rat or snake slinking across her path. Lexi can’t remember a time where she disliked her brother more. Sure, she was worried about him; but fuck him for putting her through this. It’s the first day of summer for fuck's sake. This, walking into the bowels of a terrible smelling creepy as fuck tunnel, isn’t what she wanted to be doing at all. If he wasn’t beaten half to death when she found him, he would be by the time they got home. But she reluctantly picked up her pace, almost having to jog to keep up with Patrick’s long strides. She could see a grin on his face, was the guy enjoying this? Really? She’d been with him for hours and was no closer to understanding what went on inside his head. And it frustrated her but bloated the intrigue even more.

“Should we call for him?” She asks quietly. It was silent in the tunnel; all was quiet besides the soft splashing of their steps. It was spooky, and certainly unnatural for a sewer tunnel to be so quiet. Not even the rodents squeaked out to break the silence. Making any other noise almost felt...wrong to her. Patrick though, didn’t seem to feel the same. He shrugs his bony shoulders and that creepy grin is back on his lips. “I hear ya, tits.” he announces joyfully as they venture in deeper. “Don’t think you can stay down here all damn day now.”

Lexi punches him in the arm, “That’s my brother you dick….“ her voice falls away and the hand with the flashlight falls limply to her side. As her heart pounds with terror, it then slips from her slack grip righr into the grey water. She’d heard something. It sounded like….children giggling. It was macabre even at the distance. The sound bounced off the stone walls and died off quickly in its spine chilling echo. Both teens stop dead in their tracks. Their muscles were taut over bone as they strained to listen. Neither seemed to want to even breathe as they waited for that dreaded sound to happen again. Both were wishing the same thing: that it was all in their heads. But the duo knew better.

The flame from Patrick’s lighter slowly began to sway and flicker wildly in a breeze that didn’t exist. It dances madly, like candles on a birthday cake seconds before they’re blown out. The light around them flickers and invites the shadows to close in on them. Neither of the teens move as they watched the flame in a harrowing trance. The flame turns sideways before going out completely and they are both swallowed up by the darkness. Lexi is nearly hyperventilating. She can't see a damn thing and the silence is oppressingly nerve wracking.

A giggle from a single child breaks the tense silence. It was much closer than before, and both Patrick and Lexi stand frozen on the spot. Neither wanted to see or be seen by whatever was out there. Lexi, in an act of true horror and desperation reaches out blindly for Patrick. Her small hands wrap around his bicep in a death grip. He can feel her shaking and the tightness of her grip clues him in that the boy was the only think keeping her upright. The deranged giggle dies gradually, the echo of it louder and reinforces the noise's creator is much closer to them. Once it dies, loudest silence either teen had ever heard takes over. Her heart is slamming into her ribs as she desperately searches for a glimmer of any sign of light about the tunnel. Lexi feels Patrick slowly lean over to her, his hair brushing against her cheeks before he breathes his question. “Light?"

Lexi shakes her head, knowing the other would feel the motion as the tunnel fills with eerie whispers. There is no way she can let go of him to get the flashlight. At first the mumble is too low to make out. The tiny, derange whisper of a child finally reaches volume for them to hear it and Lexi snaps her gaze to her companion.   
“You found us Patrick” said one solitary voice.. Then others whisper the same phrase. One right after the other, over and over. It was chilling, horrifying, a cacophony of bone-chilling whispers. It was like the tunnel was overflowing with children; their voices suffocated the space around the teens as their loud words bounced off the stone walls. Lexi's grip tightened and she knew her nails were definitely leaving marks in thr boy's arm. Then all was silent.

It was abrupt and completely unsettling. The duo both held their breath as they waited in a state of panic Lexi lets out a whimper and curses her inability to moves when suddenly the voices call out in eerie unison, “You found us....PATRICK." The teens are too terrified to make an attempt to escape. Lexi is quaking against Patrick. Blood drips down his arm from the divets she's created with her nails. It was so hard to breath! The voice sounded even closer than they had just a few moments ago. Now, it is like they were standing directly in front of them.


	9. IT Feeds

Patrick worked frantically to bring the flame back to his zippo, even though neither teen wanted to see what was in front of them. However, neither teen had a choice in this matter; no matter the creep factor the duo refused to back down. They had to face whatever was messing with them, especially after what the trembling girl beside him had encountered earlier. Patrick had to see it with his own eyes for it to be real. Lexi wanted to face the thing that had decided to terrorize her. She was not going to take bullying from a demented balloon thing that sent monsters to unsuspected kids. The clicking of the zippo was making their unease mount and Lexi truly wished her flashlight had not disappeared. That made the Zippo’s small flame their only option. His cold, unsteady fingers fought with the Zippos spark wheel. The bony digits tremble against the cool metal as he drags his thumb down countless times in a row but only got the smallest of sparks. He repeats the motion several more times, can feel the overuse of his thumb leaving it even more pained and feeling raw, before it finally ignites. The girl wants to sigh in relief. He holds the lighter in one shaking hand and slowly raises it to eyelevel. The yellow-orange light revealed several bodies standing just a couple feet in front of them. He recognized them immediately, Betty Ripsom and the other missing kids, and they all looked...incredibly dead. Patrick’s grey-green eyes almost fly out of his head as he struggles to process what he was seeing. Their skin was a mixture of a sickly grey and muddy brown mixed in with some green and dark purple. Their skin was drooping, the motley of colors clearly showed signs of decomposition and it only enhanced with the absence of patches of skin and limbs. In other words…they were fucking zombies. Blood covered each one in various states. Some splatters were dark; the color was dark crimson crusted black in spots from time. Other smears of the red liquid were bright and shiny in the soft glow of the flame's light. Their eyes were foggy white, having gone cloudy after death. They were sightless, ghostly and unblinking. What remained of their clothes were hanging off bony limbs in tatters and covered in lord knows what. It was the same for all of them, except for one: a kid standing front and center of the group. He was in significantly better shape than the others and it made Patrick pause. There was no blood on his clothes or anywhere else on his body that Patrick could see. The articles were wet from the grey water and dusted in...well Patrick hoped that was mud but knew it most likely wasn't. While it was perfectly obvious the boy is dead, as the tie dye effect from the colors of decomposition making up the flesh, the skin is smooth and still attached to his body. None of it even seemed to droop like the others. He appeared to be around the same age as the Losers and the same height as well. This kid wasn’t on any of the missing posters, and yet….he seemed familiar. Patrick was positive he’d never seen him around school, but somehow, he knew this boy. His hair was long and dark, dripping wet and stringy but it looked just like Patrick’s. His eyes, red rimmed and blood shot, but it was still clear as day that they were the same green-grey color as his own, and that’s when it clicked. Patrick’s jaw dropped in horror, his eyes wide and he jumps backwards with a shout.

The boy smiles, it’s the same as Patrick’s, the one frequently uses when he’s doing something mischievous. The same smile Lexi saw on Patrick’s lips when he was messing with Bowers. “I found you Patrick,” he whispers as he holds out a small hand towards the older boy. “It’s time to come float with me Patrick, we all float down here. Come with me Patrick and you’ll float too.”  
Patrick’s legs give out and he falls to his knees with a splash, water soaking his clothes and even reaching his hair. The lighter falls from his limp hand and disappears into the grey water with a quiet ‘thunk’ and their world goes black once more.  
“No…” He whimpers, “You’re not real.” He moans in anguish, fear making his whole-body shake. It’s Avery, the boy standing in front of him is his baby brother. It’s not possible, this wasn’t possible. None of it. His brothers dead, murdered in his crib by Patrick’s own hand. How could he be here?

A hand lands on his bony shoulder and he jumps violently. It was the Hanscom girl. He’d completely forgotten she was there. She was crouched down next to him, he could feel the soft, warm skin of her arm bumping up against him. What was she doing? Within seconds, he finds out. The darkness is cast away as she pulls her flashlight from the grey, muddy depths of the water and she turns to look at him, “Hockstetter! Get the fuck up!” Her small hands wrap around his arm, and with truly impressive strength, she yanks him up. “We need to run, like now!” She says, eying the slowly advancing undead, the smaller boy in the lead. Patrick nods dumbly, this was his nightmare, the undead, his baby brother... They shouldn’t be here, they couldn’t. He’s in his own personal hell. And even worse, he couldn’t seem to get his body to move. But thankfully, the girl gives him a shove before taking off down the tunnel. The splashing of their shoes in the water was thunderous in the otherwise dead silence. The tunnels seemed endless, there was no way they were in that deep. Something was messing with them, a powerful something.....and Lexi suspected it was the clown.

Lexi turned a corner, coming face to face with thick metal bars, it was a dead end. She quickly spins, opening her mouth to tell Patrick that something wasn’t right....but he was gone.  
“P-Patrick...?” She squeaks, slowly making her way back around the corner. “Patrick?” She says again a little louder. This wasn’t possible, where had he gone? She does her best to retrace her steps through the dark, ominous tunnels of the sewer but the boy was nowhere to be found. It was nerve wracking, she felt as if she was no longer in the same sewers, as if the Barrens were no longer outside the tunnels. She was in a maze, and it was closing in on her from all sides. Her flashlight barely made a dent in the darkness, it was almost impossible to navigate the many twists and turns. She was sure there was no exit, and that she was trapped. Whatever this creature was, it had made this maze and it had taken Patrick, that much she was sure of. This whole thing had been for Patrick, her brother wasn’t here, and it was up to her to find both.


	10. IT Wants

The zombies were gone, thankfully, so the only noise sounding was her own. However, without the others the tunnels seemed to have swallowed up, there wasn't any type of sound for the girl to use as a lead. At least if she could hear them she could try and follow their path. Instead, she faces the eerie, unnerving, and completely unnatural pounding silence that is only permeated with her own sloshing footsteps. The noise echoes creepily along the tunnel. It is not only increasing her descent into madness but it is a stark reminder that she is truly alone.

Lexi didn't know if she wanted to cry, scream bloody murder, or curl up into a small ball and just give up completely. Panic wasn't even close to the right word for describing how she was feeling; she was out of her mind with a tumult of emotions. She is lost. She is alone. She is defenseless. Panic comes rushing up even more as her mind throws her back into the past. She isn't in the tunnels anymore; she's in the asylum of her home town. She's being hunted again; can hear her friends running along the halls to escape. They can't escape that monster. He's going to get them...just like he had gotten- Lexi forces herself to shake out of the deranged memory. No, Fluffy isn't here. He could not get her. He would not be able to kill her just like he had done Amanda. The thought brought agony to her mind and she forced herself to focus. She couldn't let that event cloud her mind and send her spiraling into a panic attack. Lexi had left the asylum alive; she was safe from that fucker. She survived and despite it all the panic she is the boys' only hope to be found. So she could not give up, however the prospect of running into the monsters again is extremely harrowing. Those zombie creatures were truly the thing of nightmares, but she had survived her own, and Lexi was sure she’d seen more than fear on Patrick’s face when he looked at them. She’s sure it recognition mingled with the horror. Accompanied with his complete break down, Lexi is sure some of those faces were of people he’d known. That fact alone made the whole situation significantly more terrifying. But she had to fight through the fear. The boys need her. She would not fail them as she did Amanda. This creature had another thing coming if it thought she would break down and abandon the boys.

Lexi wanted to scoff as one emotion broke through the fog of panic and determination: irritation. The further Lexi got, it became pretty fucking apparent that there was no proper way to navigate the tunnels. They all looked the same. They had been tricked into a game to enterain that demented fucking monster and the clown showed no signs of ending his fun. The noises she and Patrick initially heard was a trick. It had been a trap for them both, although it seemed more interested in Hockstetter. It is painfully obvious the tunnels were meant to keep him in its clutches. And that thought made her even more mad. That thing was toying with them for its own sick pleasure; had been from the beginning Lexi was willing to bet. It was complete bullshit. The thought of being played by a psychotic creature spawned from the depths of hell truly pissed the tiny upperclassmen more than anything. So that’s what helped fuel Lexi to keep moving. All of this was for Patrick; the clown hadn’t counted on her being with him and she would use that to her advantage.

Lexi rounds another corner and wants to scream. More metal bars! She scans the metal with her flashlight hoping for something to help; maybe a loose one or one riddled in rust that she could break. On closer inspection, the girl notices that one had indeed come loose. She could use this as a weapon at least. Even with a missing bar, the space between the metal poles was still too small for the girl to squeeze through so she couldn't use it as a means of escape. Lexi grabs the metal with both hands and yanks as hard as she can. The girl groans as she does it again and again. She pulls with all her might and it gives, but only just a tiny bit. Huffing, Lexi rakes a hand through her hair and glares at the offending metal. She dusts off her hands before wrapping them around the pole once more. The girl lifts one leg and puts a foot against the wall to brace herself. Licking her lips, she sucks in a deep breath before pulling again. She uses every ounce of strength she could muster, hoping and praying it would pay off. Blessedly, this time it does, it comes off but with a horrifyingly deafening screech.

Freezing in place, the girl strains to hear any new sound over the pounding of her own heart. Time drags for a few more moments before Lexi sighs with relief. Now with the pipe clutched in her small hands she spins and heads down yet another tunnel. God, they seemed endless; miles and miles of terror filled concrete that one could easily lose themselves in. It was seriously destroying her already frayed nerves. Coupled with the complete silence, it was easy to see why any sane person would never venture close to the entrance, let alone enter it. Though she was confident this new maze was a gift from the clown that others would never experience.

Lexi could feel her paranoia mounting at the eerie silence. Not even rats or mice were accompanying her. The girl knew the sewers should be a cesspool for the tiny furred menaces, so her paranoia only continued to increase at their absence. She was quickly losing her mind, her nerves getting the better of her at last. She picks up speed as she rounds yet another corner and is met with a familiar set of bars. How in the fuck? She doesn't dwell on it. She spins and takes off in a run which makes her shoes splash louder in the grey water. She had to find Hockstetter, if only to keep herself from being alone in this damn silence. She rounds another corner and her steps falter. 

A harsh breath raggedly expels from her throat and her gaze jumps about nervously. She was sure this had been a dead end just moments before. Were the tunnels changing? Or was she going mad already? She giggles hysterically, thinking it was probably both.

As her sanity begins to slip away, Lexi continues her brisk pace through the dark tunnels. Her anxiety and fear continue to grow as she meets yet another dead end. Despite the crippling emotions, she wants to bang against the bars with her fists to let out the irritation mounting again. She is sick of being the played with by the clown. Sighing softly she turns to leave and continues down another path. As she passes an tumnel she swears she has already explored, a noise filled the sewers. It was a truly haunting sound that induced heartbreaking sympathy from Lexi. The sound was a cry of pure agony. She froze in place, straining to listen. Was it Patrick? The thought jolts her into motion once more. Was it Ben? She doubts it very seriously but the possibility keeps her going. Could it be someone else lured into the sewer, forced to participate in the creature's game? Lexi stops at the end of the tunnel as it splits at fork.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," she mumbles looking both left and right. Which way should she go? Because she had absolutely no idea where she was nor where the yell had come from. Her heart twinges as a loud, pain filled groan comes from her left. She recognizes that masculine tone. And while she was sad her new friend was in pain, she now knew which direction to head. And she wastes no time in following the miserable sounds. “Patrick!” she gasps as her feet take off running down the tunnel. Her breath was coming in harsh pants, and instinctively Lexi knew adrenaline was forcing her limbs forward. Because she was terrified, absolutely terrified. What could have made infamously tough Patrick Hockstetter make that noise?

The further down she goes, the more she hears; they tug at her heart eveb more. She hears grunts, splashing, more agony filled groans, and even a yell of despair. However, she still can’t see the source until she turns down yet another tunnel to her left. She shines the light over the forms in front of her and cries out at what she sees. Leaning against the metal bars that were blocking entrance to the remainder of the tunnel was Patrick. But standing in front of him, blocking Lexis view from most of Patrick’s body was the clown. Unfazed by the light shining on it, it was pressed against the boy’s front. Its large head is laying against Patrick’s left shoulder and has a knee shoved between the boy's spread legs. Large hands were wrapped around Patrick's arms and long deadly claws were digging into his flesh as the boy struggled.

The closer Lexi got, the more horrified she became. She realized that the clown wasn’t laying his head on Patrick, he was smelling him. It was an animalistic type of scenting and churns the girl's stomach. She could hear it’s almost boyish voice whispering joyfully into Patrick’s ear as one of the clawed hands removes itself from Patrick’s arm and moved down in between their bodies. And then with a groan from Patrick and a moan of pleasure from the clown, massive fangs sink into the skin between the boy’s shoulder and neck.

Patrick yells. His eyes go unbelievably wide and his tone is filled with agony…and something else that worries the girl. The clown’s arm is moving up and down slowly in between their bodies, but Lexi is still unable to see why. She has a guess but she sincerely hopes it isn't what she fears. Lexi lurches forward but stops when she hears a low growl. The creature removes it’s other hand from Patrick’s arm and holds it up for the girl to see. Patrick yells as the creature’s teeth pull on the skin of his neck and his body sinks due to the lack of support. He struggles to get his feet underneath him without causing himself further pain, but the strength just isn’t there.

Patrick’s eyes roll as he sags against the metal and his crotch inches closer to the clown’s knee. The demonic creature presses its body against the boy and uses its knee to raise him back up. Patrick groans again and Lexi takes a quick step forward. Despite the abject terror, Lexi needs to get Patrick free. The clown upraises a long finger and slowly shakes it. It is a warning, that was clear. The arm in between their bodies increases the speed of its movements and Patrick’s fingers wrap around the metal bars behind him for dear life. Blood is flowing steadily from the bite and as Lexi looked the boy over, she noticed a faint trickle of blood running down his temple and cheek. His eyes are wide open and rolling. If Patrick has noticed her, he hasn’t shown it. But that did not change her resolve, Patrick is clearly in danger and whatever the clown is doing to him is clearly messing the boy up further.

He is soaked from head to toe with water and there is enough blood to make his hair stick to the side of his face. His head falls to his uninjured shoulder, “J-just kill me,” he groans which makes the clown cackle wickedly in reply. Fury crashes into the girl at Hockstetter's pitiful plea and the cold response of his abuser. Hoe dare this thing toy with them! Lexi decided then, she wasn’t going to leave him.


	11. IT’s All Connected

The girl is seeing red. After the horror the clown had caused her and Ben, and now seeing it hurting Patrick; she lost it. She refused to let it continue its game. Yelling in rage, Lexi charged forward. Adrenaline and rage guided her movements. She held the metal pipe high over her head, ready to swing it, and that’s exactly what she did. Lexi hit the clown on the side of the head, once, twice, three times as hard as she could. She seriously hopes her assault would make it let go of Patrick. 

The clown turns his massive head towards her and screeches. Demonic yellow, unevenly focused eyes rolled around in its head to look on the terrified girl. “Mama always warned me not to play with my food.” It says with a wild guffaw, ‘Didn’t know it was because a crazy little girl would show up and take him away before I could finish!” This thing had a mother? Were there even more?

Its mouth opens wider and wider, jaw coming unhinged to reveal rows upon rows of teeth that continue all the way to its throat. The sight almost makes her drop the pipe but she does not. It is truly a monster and that scared Lexi just as much. So, in a truly desperate act, she plunges the sharper end of pipe into the monster head. The creature wails. The screeching sound has a demonic undertone in its voice that made Lexi shiver and cry out in fear. Oh god she was dead! But it backs away from Patrick then flies down the tunnel and out of sight with a manic giggle. The only hint of its location was the loud clatter of the metal pipe hitting the ground echoing throughout the sewers.

Heart pounding, Lexi kept her eyes trained on the direction it had gone. She is terrified the monster clown would return. It wasn’t until she heard an anguished moan behind her, followed by a thunk and a loud splash that she remembered she wasn’t alone. She spun around and rushed over to the bloody and battered boy. Crouching down next to his outstretched legs, she had to fight back tears. Her companion is an utter wreck of sliced skin and blood.  
“Fuck Patrick, what do we do?” She cried, her eyes roaming over his sagging body. It was like a horror movie. Blood was everywhere. He’s covered in it. It drips from his hair onto his face and closed eyelids. It streams from the wounds in his shoulder and neck and some had even run down to his arms. His shirts were torn and mussed; his grey wife beater is almost completely red. The deep nail sized cuts in his arms are slowly oozing crimson which only adds to the already substantial amount of red staining his forearms and hands. There is so much blood Lexi fears he is losing way too much. The teen is way too pale and still.

Patrick is in a heap on his side; his body no longer has the strength to keep him upright. His left arm is draped over his torso and resting limply in his lap. This not only kept the wrecked arm from moving, but to also hide the erection still present in his jeans. Zings of pleasure still mingled with the agony is body is in. The clown had seriously done a number on him; not only physically but mentally too. Albeit, he knew the girl would notice it eventually and he was powerless to stop her. He was a mess and if it wasn’t for the constant, harsh rise and fall of his chest, the girl would have thought for sure he was dead. He is still drenched with foul water, laying in it as he is, but Lexi is terrified of touching him lest she make his pain worse.

She leans in closer as her eyes roam over exposed skin to catalog all of his injuries. If she knew where the most damage was, she would know which places to avoid touching when they finally did work on getting out. She is too immersed in studying his sliced arms to notice the teen return to conciousness. Patrick blinks slowly, watching the girl's eyes with his own. As they roam lower and lower, he grunts, “You won’t like what you’ll find if you keep exploring, Hanscom."

Lexi feels her eyebrows pull together at his comment. What the fuck...oh...Her eyes fall on the bulge tightening his jeans. "Did the clown..." Her brain completely fizzes in overdrive. How had she been so stupid and not known what was going on? And just like that, rage erupts. The girl pops to her feet and paces in a stormy frenzy. "Oh hell no! That fucking thing was scenting you and jerking you off like property? How fucking dare it! I'm all for gettin off but goddamn that thing went about it all the wrong ways. Because ya know, I'm sorry you can turn people on without almost killin em! Not to mention the fact that you're not fucking property. What the fuck is wrong with that clown?" Her yells of outrage echo off the wall. And the fury was all for the clown. It seriously wasn't because Patrick was hard. It was the fact the clown decided to molest an already mentally broken Patrick. It was toying with them even more. 

Patrick chuckles darkly, “He wasn’t trying to turn me on Hanscom, I was already there.” He shifts, wincing as he forced his sore body to move. “He just took advantage when he realized what the pain was doing to me.” The boy runs his hand over the bulge that was still present in his pants. With a groan, he presses down and lets his head fall back against the thick bars behind him.

Lexi watches with morbid fascination. She was all good with pain; that didn't weird her out. No. What got her was the amount of blood coating him. Sighing, she crouches down next to him. Despite the urgent need to get Patrick out of the tunnels and somewhere to clean up, the urge to reach over and replace his hand with her own is fighting to be at the forefront. Despite the blood, her suspicions are correct: Patrick Hockstetter was truly hot as shit when he was turned on. "I've heard of pain kinks Hockstetter, have some myself. But seriously this is more leaning more like a death kink." She falls silent for a moment. "That clown claimed you man. It's gonna come for you again. We really need to leave because I think I only managed to piss it off. Not to mention...you really stink." She hated veering the topic but if she kept her focus on his dick Patrick could die from infection alone. She already had to unglue her gaze from his cock multiple times.

It takes him a moment, but Patrick sluggishly rolls his head to the side with a grimace. His unfocused eyes slowly make their way to her face. There’s a small grin on his lips, he could tell the female Hanscom was flustered. “Ok,” He says hoarsely, grin still in place. “but I can’t get up by myself.” He’d obviously have to act on the girls attraction to him another time. Though it pleased him that he wasn’t the only one with a crush.


	12. IT’s a Monster

Flushing Lexi notices his grin. Oh yeah, no doubt he had notice her eyes his package.  With a snort and a tilt of her chin to his straining erection she quips, "Seems like you definitely can get up yourself." She grins when Patrick chortles at her extremely bad joke. Though it is definitely not the time to be joking, the girl needed it to distract her. Patrick is in really bad shape and redirecting her brain is the only way to keep from wanting to happily hop on his dick. Seriously, how could she not? The wet demin encasing his lower half gives her a perfect view of the large outline of him. "Maybe next time I'll let you help, Hanscom." The girl shudders at the heated words. She grins cheekily, trying not to seem to affected by his dark tone. But jesus help her, it had. "We'll see about that Hockstetter. I prefer my men bloody from me and not deranged clowns...and stinking a lot less. Okay jokes aside, you ready?" When he nods, she helps the boy as best as she can while still trying to hold onto the flashlight. Using his good arm, she pulls him unsteadily to his feet. Once upright, he immediately sways, unable to even stand up by himself. Lexi rushes to his side and wraps an arm securely around his waist. Her fingers splay across the muscled flesh and takes care in keeping a firm but gentle hold on Patrick as to not hurt him more. He drapes his good arm across her shoulders as best he can due to the height difference. Lexi is silently thankful adrenaline is still bursting through her because when Patrick leans against her, she registers how heavy he truly is. It was going to take forever to get out of the sewers. "Okay, let's go," she declares and slowly they walk forward.

 

It seems her suspicions about the clown controlling the sewers were right. As soon as the creature had gone, things had returned to normal. There were no more winding tunnels branching out to confuse them. There wasn't any sound except their own footsteps so for that Lexi was extemely thankful. She could not handle anothee run in with those zombies anymore than she could the clown. But even so, every step they took was a struggle. Making it out of the sewers was a major accomplishment in Lexi’s book. Patrick was leaning on her heavily which slowed them already but even worse is the fact that his strides are sluggish and extremely sloppy. 

Patrick moved like he was drunk off his ass. But with determination and no small amount of patience on Lexi’s part, they made it out and back to the river. The sunlight burns her eyes but she uad never been more thankful for it. Lexi spies a large rock not to far from them and deposits the suffering boy onto it as soon as they reached it. The boy sags into the stone with a grimace and closes his greenish eyes. It's obvious they both need a break. Lexi watches the boy as she stretches her arms, cracks her neck, and rubs her sore shoulders. Holy shit was she hurting after that walk. Patrick might be tall and skinny, but he was heavy as fuck. And that’s exactly what caused lines of worry to form on her forehead. They still had to cross the river and climb up the stupid big hill to get back to her truck. There’s absolutely no way Lexi could do it with Patrick, and she didn’t even want to try, she could end up hurting him even more. 

She starts pacing along the river, her hand rubbing at the the back of her neck as she walks. There was no way they could make it up the steep ass hill. And Lexi didn't even consider leaving him here to go for help by herself; he could bleed out in that time or possibly worse the clown could return for Patrick. The girl has no idea what to do and as she continues pacing, she doesn’t even notice Patrick’s eyes slide open and start to follow her.

“Whatcha doin Hanscom?” He croaks. The girl rubs viciously at her face, grimacing at the feel of something doesn't even want to contemplate what it was coating her hands rubbing along her face with the action.

“Panicking Hockstetter. How the fuck are we going to get you out of here because I sure as hell am not leaving you here,” she replies, sparing him a glance. She regrets it instantly. Now that they were out in the daylight, he looks significantly worse. She gives him a look of sympathy and stops to stand in front of him. The gashes on his arm and shoulder are truly gruesome.

“Looks like I lost a battle with a lawnmower doesn’t it.” He says with a dry chuckle and hisses when it aggravates his wounds. 

Lexi chuckles nervously and gives his crotch another pointed look. "Seems one part of you still doesn't mind that." A grin lifts the boy's lips. The girl didn't seem to mind either though he could see she felt wrong to joke about his condition. Panic and concern shine bright in her eyes so he doesn't comment. She stares off into space, fighting back tears as her nerves get the better of her. How the hell was she going to get Patrick up the hill? She felt helpless. Patrick was seriously injured and they still hadn’t found her brother. But she couldn’t think like that. She didn’t save the heavy bastard from that damn clown just for him to die at the bottom of a ridiculously and stupidly steep hill. 

Her body jerked when she heard fumbling footsteps. Her gaze begins jumping around, searching for an object she could use as a weapon. Her worst fear was that the clown had come for seconds; the girl was positive the demonic thing was going to make sure it finished its meal this time. Patrick's eyebrows raise as the girl swipes up a stick and plants herself firmly in front of him to face where the footsteps seem to be coming from. Was the girl really trying to protect him? It baffled him. Her profile is to him and he sees the steely determination hardening her features. Her grip is so tight on the large stick that her knuckles are white but she doesn't seem to notice. The tiny girl truly was gearing up to attack anything that came at them. When the lumbering figure of Belch came into view, Lexi's knees nearly gave out in relief.

Instead she drops the stick and rushes over to seize his wrist. Belch began to protest, jerking away from the girl's surprisingly strong grip. Lexi turned on him with an intimidating glare that promised death making the boy balnch. From his spot on the rock, he sees the flash of fear cross Belch's face. The girl grabs his shirt and forces him to lean down to her level. "Get your ass over there and help me get him to the truck before he dies." Belch blinked at her growling demand before looking over her head. Lexi watched the horror flicker over his round face before it hardened and he shoved passed her. "You hurt him?" He was at Patrick's side in a second and as Lexi came to stop at their side, Belch was already hoisting the brunette up. Lexi scoffs with disbelief. "If I did this, why the hell would I be trying to get him help?" 


	13. IT’s Not Done

Belch said nothing but jerked his head to Patrick's injured shoulder. "Support his right side, but still, be careful. It's gonna suck for him but it'll go quicker if we both have him."   
Lexi wanted to groan. She was definitely taking two showers tonight. “I’ll take his injured side, I’m shorter so it shouldn’t hurt as much.” Patrick, who had been silent the entire time, laughs at the irony. 

Glaring, Lexi ducks under his arm and shivers as the blood instantly seeps into her clothes and mats her hair. Jesus fucking christ, there was a lot of blood. The moan of agony Patrick gives when she had to move his arm made her feel terrible as well. She knew it would hurt, but watching the open wounds move on his neck and shoulder made her want to vomit. Her hand around his waist squeezes his flesh softly, trying to reassure Patrick that they would get him out and patched up asap. She signals Belch and they lumber up the hill. It was long and arduous. Patrick was still barely able to support any of his own weight, most of it was supported by Belch and she could tell he was quickly tiring. Patrick curses when they have to adjust him as they’d hit the steepest part of the hill and one of Belch's legs nearly sinks into some animal hole. 

Thankfully though, they were close to the top of the hill. And soon, her truck was finally in sight. She glanced at Patrick and her heart sank at what she saw. His head hung forward just a bit but she could see the almost closed gaze. If it hadn't been for the smallest sliver of dull green she spotted, Lexi would have sworn they were shut. Patrick's lush lips were apart as the sharp movement of his chest pulled oxygen into his lungs with harsh pants. The veins in his neck were thick with tension. And his coloring seemed much, much paler than before. "Hurry," she says, urgency riding her tone. They doubled their pace, making Patrick groan. But Lexi barely heard it. She was freaking out because she had no idea how to get him patched up. No way could she take him to the hospital. They'd sooner throw her in the loony bin then believe the truth of what created those wounds. Not to mention, the police would be called for sure and that wouldn’t be good for anyone.

As they loaded Patrick into her truck, she came to the uneasy resolve that she had to patch him up herself. But she had no idea where to even begin. She grabs napkins from her console and covers the gaping wound in them. Patrick looks at her through slitted eyes as she gingerly cleans them. "Know you don't have the strength to hold these here to keep pressure on em but I can get the shit cleaned away from it to stave off infection." The boy grunts and raises his good arm. Her fingers tingle when he covers her small hand with his own. Licking her lips she gently pulls her hand up from under his. "Try and keep the pressure on. Ima talk to Belch for a sec and we'll get outta here okay?" The teen doesn't reply and Lexi turns from him. Hopefully Patrick would somehow be able to help her get started in the right direction. 

After Belch had finished getting Patrick situated in her truck and the girl played nurse, Lexi pulled him aside. “I don’t know what the fuck to do.”   
Belch eyed the girl suspiciously. She's covered in blood and grime. Her clothes are soaked and her features are grim and extra pale. “Yea....what did happen?” He asked.

“I don’t even know where to begin Belch, but now isn’t the time for me to try and explain. Honestly I don't think you'll believe me. I’ll tell you anything you want to know when he’s safe. Where do I take him?”   
The heavy set boy rubs the back of his neck, “Not the hospital obviously. Henry’s dad would be a nightmare if he finds out. There’s a drugstore not to far from here that will have stuff.” Lexi tilts her head in question, “What about Henry’s dad?” Belch chuckles. “His dad's the Sheriff. Why do you think Henry backed off from the losers earlier at school? It’s cuz he saw his dad.”

Lexi’s jaw dropped, “ohhhh shit.” She looked at the pale boy through the truck's window, “I have so many questions, but again now isn’t the time. Will Patrick know how to get to the drugstore?”  
Belch nods, “Yea, he’ll know. Let’s hope he can still give you directions though.”  
Lexi blushes slightly, “I wish you could come with us, it would make things so much easier.”

The boy chuckles, “Yea, Henry would kill me if I left him here. Plus someone has to keep him from going on a rampage when he finds out what happened to Patrick.”  
Lexi recoils, one of her small hands flying up to her mouth, “Oh god. He’s going to kill me!”  
Belch looks at her for several seconds, her concern was genuine. He decides then that she wasn’t responsible for what happened to his friend. His face softens and he puts a comforting hand on her narrow shoulder, “I’ll take care of Henry ok? Just make sure you take care of my boy.” Lexi nods in thanks then heads around to the driver's side door of her truck. “I’ll do my best.”


	14. IT’s Gone for Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, posted the wrong chapter. This is the correct one!

Lexi looked over at the barely conscious brunette as she entered the vehicle. His hand had fallen from the wounded shoulder, the paper towels were completely soaked in crimson and unusable, and it seemed Patrick had fallen asleep again. Fuck that'd been the last of that roll. Didn't she have more though? The other boy walks around to the driver's side, resting his arms on the frame as she rolls down the window. “This is not gonna be easy." Belch just shrugged; what more could he say quite frankly. The boy looked at the tiny female again. It is obvious he was beyond curious. But whatever had happened, she clearly wasn’t responsible. Patrick wouldn’t be going with her willingly if she was. Not to mention, there’s no way this tiny thing would have been able to get one over on him.

Lexi was rummaging through her glove compartment now. Her curvy body is leaned over Patrick's. Belch chuckles. He knew that had his friend been awake, Patrick would have made a comment to make her blush. He watched as she pulled out a roll of smushed paper towels with a triumphant noise. The girl unraveled the absorbent paper and ripped off several sheets. Tenderly, she began dabbing at his open wounds after removing the useless towels. The pressure from Lexi’s hand pulled Patrick to the present. They weren't at the bottom of the hill anymore. No, they were in a vehicle; her truck to be exact. The girl was leaned across the seat, trying to clean him. His green-grey eyes roved hazily over the girl.

Lexi was a morbid mess. Her hair was matted and skin streaked with Patrick's blood. Even more of the stuff coated and stained her fingers. Her face was no longer green though. No, now it was hard with determination. Her teeth had a firm grip on her lip; the flesh was purple from a bruise yet the pain of it didn't seem to deter the girl. He suspected she didn't even register it. He shifted his gaze to watch her as she worked, switching between her hands on his arm and her face. Her eyes were red rimmed and wild; they were the only physical evidence of the panic brewing in her. The rest of her pretty features were lined with concern and determination. "Wasting time," Patrick heard Belch say. Lexi scoffed and rolled her eyes, but knew the boy was right. She wasn’t going to patch him up with some cheap dollar store paper towels.

The girl shrugged, trying not to let the renewing panic swallow her whole as she cranked up her truck. "Most likely but the bleeding needs to stop. I can't keep pressure on it while im driving. Keep Bowers in check. I'll take care of Patrick, I promise." Belch stepped back and the girl roared from the spot and immediately turned to the boy, “Keep pressure on that,” Lexi said, holding up a wad of folded clean sheets and nods at his shoulder. He hadn't thought she'd noticed he was awake. Patrick grunts and sluggishly moves his arm across his body to grab the towel. He puts it on his shoulder and presses down with a hiss and winces. It hurts so fucking bad that he has to fight back tears. 

Patrick watches her drive. Her head is whipping about and the girl is mumbling to herself. And they called him crazy, he thought as she lit up a cigarette. The enticing nicotine cloud wafted about them. The girl lights up her cancer sticks with every change in mood it seemed. But he was thankful, the smoke smelled heavenly. He shifts, moving closer to Lexi with a grunt and licks his dry, cracked lips.  
“Can I get some of that?” he asked hoarsely. She nods numbly. He watches her pull the stick from between her lips, flip it between her fingers so the cherry is facing her, and holds the cigarette to the struggling teen's lips. The stick slides between his lips and her fingers are gone before he can blink. He removes his hand from his neck and takes it with a pained hiss. He holds it between bloody, shaking fingers and takes a deep drag. Exhaling through his nose he immediately takes another hit. Lexi glances at him briefly. The guy looked dead; it was terrifying. He offers the blood stained cigarette back but Lexi shakes her head with an amused grin, “Keep it Hockstetter. Don't mind swappin saliva with ya but you look like ya need a whole one for yourself.” The boy doesn't respond as Lexi lights a new cig for herself.

Lexi takes a sharp turn down the narrow empty road that leads them back to town. She continues to spare glances in Patrick’s direction. She was positive he’d make sure to stay alive at least long enough to finish smoking; it was a good thing she bought 100’s. He still had about half of the cig left and they were nearing the library; she could see the tall building up ahead. “Patrick, I have no idea where I’m going.”  
The boy chuckles, “The stop sign up by the library, take a right at it. Keep going straight till you hit another stop sign then go left. You’ll see the pharmacy on your right.” The girl licks her lips. “Ok.” Lexi says thickly. Her eyes dart over to him. “Where do I park? I can’t let anyone see you. They’ll think I tried to murder you.”  
Patrick snorts, “Just park up the street in the lot. There’s a bar up there that doesn’t open till later. No one will be around.”

Once Lexi parked and made sure the boy in the passenger's seat wouldn’t keel over and die, she got out of the truck. Patrick looked at her warily, “Might want to lose the jacket and shirt princess. You’re covered in blood.”  
Lexi gives herself a once-over; he was right. She quickly strips off her jacket and pulls her shirt off over her head. Thank god she was wearing a tank underneath. She tosses the bloodied clothing into her seat and spins for the boy. When he nods the all clear, she heads down the sidewalk. She was the only one around. The place was like a ghost town; it was almost creepy. The sun was out in full force, making it a gorgeous day and there was no one around to appreciate it. The pharmacy though, was nowhere near empty. The losers from earlier were huddled in the first aid section and were looking incredibly suspicious. 

“W-we don’t have eeenough.” The tall one, Bill, was whispering to the others. Lexi heads towards them and nearly bumps into Beverly as she rounds the corner to their isle. She quickly hides the box of tampons behind her back and looks between Lexi and the losers. “What are you doing?” she asks the group.  
“None of your business.” Stanley replies quickly.  
“There’s a kid outside, looks like somebody killed him,” says Eddie as a roll of medical tape falls from his full arms. Lexi goes pale. They couldn’t be talking about Patrick, could they? Or were they talking about Ben? “This kid, is he around your age?” She asks.  
“Yea, the new kid.” Eddie replies, “We found him in the Barrens.” Lexi feels her anger surge and apparently it shows when Eddie pales.  
“W-we need ssuplies to pppatch him uup, bbut we don’t h-have enough mmmoney.” Bill says sheepishly. Her sharp look rounds on him and the boy's eyes widen. “Is he ok though? Besides the looking like death part?” Lexi asks, going into protective sibling mode. The others nod in reassurance and Lexi breathes a sigh of relief.

“Get whatever you need guys,” says Beverly, eying the pharmacist. “I need to get some stuff too,” Lexi adds, “I’ll help them.”  
The boys look at her questionly, but Beverly doesn’t even bat an eye.  
“Ok, wait until I give you the sign; I’ll look over at you. Got it?” Lexi gives her a thankful look and immediately starts going through the supplies. She snatches up rolls of gauze, tape, and bandages. Her heart warmed even more for the red head. She didn’t even question why Lexi needed stuff as well which made the elder girk extremely thankful. Plus Beverly was willing to help them steal. Even though it was for a good cause, it was still a gutsy move.

Beverly walks over to the counter with a wide, flirtatious smile. “I like your glasses Mr Keene. You look just like Clark Kent.”  
The much older man chuckles, “Oh I don’t know about all that.” Beverly giggles and flutters her lashes. “Can I try them?” she asks. The older man thinks for a brief moment and passes them over. Squinting briefly as the bell goes off on the door signaling someone had entered, he turns his attention back to the redhead. Beverly puts on the glasses, trying not to laugh as she hears Richie asking the others what’s going on. The group immediately starts hounding him for leaving Ben but he waves them off.  
“What do you think?" she asks the man as she looks up at him through her lashes and gives him her most charming smile.  
She hears Richie moaning, "oh no," behind her from his spot with the others.  
“Well I’ll be,” replies Mr Keene in a far too flirtatious manner, “you look just like Lois Lane.” Richie continues his moaning. “Oh no no no please.” He gets harshly elbowed by Lexi who hisses at him to shut up. The boy complies, surprising the other losers. Well...they'd seen how scary the older girl could be so it really wasn't that surprising.

Beverly passes the glasses back over the counter and purposely knocks over one of the displays. “Oh I’m sorry," she cries as the pharmacist bends down behind the counter to pick up the items. She whips her head around and looks over her shoulder, urging the boys and Lexi to take their stuff and go. Her eyes roll as Eddie bumps nervously into one of the shelves. He knocks several items to the floor and looks at them. There was an intense battle going on inside of him to pick up the stuff, Beverly could tell. But thankfully he doesn’t and they make it out. She quickly takes one of the cigarette packs off the counter while the pharmacist is still busy and slides it into the front pocket of her shorts. It’s her payment for going through this creepy interaction she decides.

After that, Beverly quickly exits the pharmacy. She'd just made it onto the sidewalk when loud, arguing voices reached her ears. "Well at least I don't need to search for them," she mumbles to herself with a smirk. She puts a slim hand in the front pocket of her jeans and walks down the sidewalk to the parking lot. Lexi, Stanley, and Bill are all crowded around someone inside the truck which blocks them from Beverly's view so her eyes immediately shift to the back. Ben is sitting in the back of the truck, feet dangling and swinging back and forth as a panicking Eddie looks at the harshly cut H on his stomach. His shirt is bloody and covered in mud, much like the rest of his clothing. Eddie has an assortment of medical supplies laid out around the bleeding boy and Richie is hovering behind him offering his unwanted assistance. "Just suck the wound!" he keeps ordering as Eddie does his best to ignore him. 

When Richie pulled out his god awful British accent, Eddie was done. "Shut up Richie! I need to focus!." He shouts as Stanley walks around the side of the truck to his friend's side. "What’s wrong?" Eddie gives the boy an irritated look but Richie intervenes. "Everything Stanley, everything." He begins ranting about how a friend of his mother’s got aids on the subway. “It was just a small cut on her finger but the aids blood got into the cut and they had to amputate. We'll probably need to amputate this too, he could have aids now...but how do you amputate a waist? How do you amputate a waist?"  
Richie sighs, "I'm telling you, just suck the wound, get in there!" Both Eddie and Stan roll their eyes. "Stanley just get me my bifocals, they're in my second fanny pack.”

There's a snort from the person inside the truck and when they start to speak the voice is all too familiar. "Why in the hell do you have a second fanny pack?" Beverly stops dead, she would have turned around and left if it wasn't for Ben. He'd looked up, having noticed her approaching and his face lit up like a Christmas tree. He waves her over and with a shy smile, Beverly obliges. "Whats up Ben from soch?" she asks with a bigger smile.  
Ben blushes a bright pink and looks down at his swinging feet.  
“Bowers found me.” He says sheepishly, still not meeting her eye.  
“I can see that,” Beverly replies, glancing between Ben and passenger side of the truck. “So why is Patrick gracing us with his presence?”  
“He got hurt too. For some reason my sister brought him here and is patching him up.” Ben said as he watches Eddie tape gauze over the cuts on his stomach.  
“Yea, it’s really bad too. Looks like an animal got ahold of him.” Eddie adds.  
“Shit,” was Beverly’s only reply as she watches Lexi walk around to the driver's side of the truck and hops inside.


	15. Who Else Has Seen IT?

Lexi is thoroughly happy for the distraction the pretty ginger girl's arrival brings. Listening to the bespectacled boy rant was funny in some instances; this was not one of those times. Right now, she wanted to ram her fist down his throat to shut him up. The little four eyes was being more of a nuisance than help. Despite the overwhelming urge to push the bumbling boys aside and care for her brother, she was beyond pissed at him. Thanks to his inability to listen, the girl had bigger things to deal with; which happened to be the mess of bloody skin that was supposed to be Patrick’s shoulder and neck. She glances through the back window briefly; her angry features soften a tad and a chuckle bubbles from her. Judging from the wide smile gracing the younger girl's face, her close proximity to the younger Hanscom, and the flush coloring Ben's cheeks Lexi surmised that he was well taken care of despite the glasses wearing twerp making a fool of himself. Her help wasn’t needed. So Lexi digs madly through her large pile of supplies for several seconds before finally finding what she was looking for. She shifts her body closer and begins tending to Patrick.

Sure, she was fuming over what that mullet haired fuck had done to Ben, but if the twerp had just listened to her in the first place none of this would have ever happened. Seriously, why hadn't Ben listened to her! Snagging the bag full of bandages, first aid glue, antiseptic cream, wet wipes, and gauze, Lexi slid across the worn leather and contemplated how to go about getting to the bite mark itself. She shares a look with Bill who was standing in front of the passenger's side of the truck. The boy was reluctantly helping her; he'd refused at first but with a terrifying glare from the elder Hanscom he had been on board. The door was wide open and he had much better access to Patrick’s injured side, even though he still had to reach over the elder boy's body. Huffing in irritation, she passes Bill a pair of scissors and waits for him to carefully cut off the remains of Patrick’s outer shirt. As more and more of Hockstetter's skin was revealed, it took even more effort to focus on her anger.  
“J-Jesus Cchrist. W-what hhhappened?” Bill asks nervously.  
“We’ll explain everything once he’s been taken care of, I promise.” Lexi affirms, her eyes roaming over the boy's exposed torso. Goddamn, Hockstetter truly is one fine male specimen.

Lord it was hard for the girl to focus. The sight of Patrick semi-shirtless was certainly tempting. Even with it streaked and stained with red the girl wanted to run her mouth and hands over it. Shaking her head at the distracting thoughts, Lexi looked at the now visible bite. The marks where the creature had bitten were definitely deep, but it appeared his bite was aimed more for pain and fear. It had been delivered more so to get a reaction than anything else. The skin wasn’t torn, just punctured and that made things far easier. Frustration grew and Lexi ground her teeth violently. Had Ben listened to her and gone straight home she wouldn't be hunched over Patrick Hockstetter cleaning an absurd amount of blood off of him. Her fists tightened around the wipe saturated in crimson. Had her fucking dope of a brother listened, that thing wouldn't have gotten to them in the first place. 

A timid knock on her window jarred Lexi into the presence. Her gaze whipped up to see Beverly staring at her with shock and questions. The elder female tossed the ruined wipe onto her floorboard before leaning over and rolling down the window. She glanced down at the growing pile of wipes and made a mental note to remember to clean them out later; her parents would freak if they saw them.  Ignoring the baffled girl's expression, Lexi went back to work. She slid closer to Patrick; her knees touched his thighs while his limp arm draped in her lap. Her chest was brushing against him, as was her matted hair, and the girl's face was inches from copper scented flesh. As she set to work, the elder female didn't say a word. Finally, Beverly seemed unable to stand the silence anymore.   
"Soooo why exactly is half naked Hockstetter in your truck?" Lexi made a scoffing noise. "Wouldn't believe me if I told you." The girl tilted her head making an expression of supreme agreement. She just couldn't understand why sweet Ben's older sister would even be near the psycho of the Bowers gang. And the way Lexi was treating the boy...her touch was firm but tender. If the pain stirred him, the girl froze until he calmed. She was thorough with his care. But the fury on her face was downright alarming. If she was that pissed why the hell was she being so nice to the gangly brunette. When Beverly voiced her thought, the upperclassman laughed genuinely.

"I'm not mad at Patrick.” Lexi said, noticing Patrick’s eyes on her and a look of doubt on his pale face. “Well maybe a bit...but I'm mostly mad at Ben. It's indirectly his fault Hockstetter is like this." Patrick’s eyes slid closed again and almost immediately he drifted off into sleep. The redhead gaped and spluttered for an explanation. And instantly wished she hadn't when Lexi held nothing back. Beverly stared at the elder Hanscom in shock after Lexi started her horrifying story of a demented clown as the brunette girl began wrapping gauze over Patrick's bandaged wounds. The redhead believed the girl's words, no matter how far fetched they seemed. The wounds marring Patrick's flesh couldn't be faked nor did she think the sincerity in the girl's wild eyes and tone could either. What the ginger couldn't wrap her head around was Hockstetter's willingness to help Lexi in the first place. After all, everyone knew about Patrick. 

The younger girl felt the urge to warn her elder. Patrick wasn't doing anything for her out of kindness. "Can we talk in private? You know in case he wakes up," Beverly asked in a rushed tone. Furrowing her brow, Lexi paused in her methodical wrapping and looked up at the girl. Beverly felt her cheeks heat up under Lexi's unblinking, irritated stare. "It's um...girl stuff," the younger teen finally stage whispered. Lexi shook her head but pinned the gauze in place. She eased Patrick back against the seat. His lips tightened as the pressure against the wounds stung at his nerve endings but Patrick didn't stir from his pain induced dozing. Lexi raked her gaze over Patrick once more before clambering out of her truck. Beverly led her a good way from the group and turned to her elder. A seriousness had hardened the girl's features, Lexi noticed. "You need to stay away from Hockstetter."  
Lexi snorted. Really? After all she said, that was what Beverly deemed the most important. "He's worse than Henry, Lexi. Henry is just mean. Patrick...he's...scary. Like really, really scary." The elder girl glanced over at her truck, eyes tracing over Patrick's figure. He was definitely different. That much she was sure of, and Beverly wasn't incorrect in stating the fear Patrick brought with him. He had a lethal presence; it was dark and violent. But something about him made Lexi need to get closer. She wanted to figure him out, and learn more about him if she could. 

"I mean it Lexi. You don't understand what people say about him." The girl sent the ginger a questioning look. Beverly sighed heavily. “There’s been rumors going around for as long as I can remember.”  
“Ok?” Lexi says questioningly.  
“Patrick used to have a little brother named Avery,” Beverly starts, unaware that Patrick had heard his brothers name. “he died when he was only a couple weeks old. The rumor is that Patrick-“  
“Yea Marsh, rumors that’s all they fucking are.” Patrick shouts from the truck, his eyes narrowed in a deadly glare. “It’s bullshit that’s best left alone.”  
Lexi’s eyes dance between the two as she slid back into her truck; she was completely and utterly confused. “I don’t get it.” She says finally.  
“There’s nothing to get Hanscom.” Patrick turns away then, grunting as Bill puts a little too much pressure on one of his many injuries.  
“S-sorry.” He mumbles, averting his eyes from the older boy.   
Patrick just grumbles in reply. He had to shut Marsh up before she could voice tge rumors. That shit Beverly was saying to Lexi, it was far too soon for her to hear. She’d run for the hills if she heard it, even if Patrick could manage to convince her it was a lie. And he wasn't done with the fiery little female. Yea, he had killed his little brother, and he’d do it again in a heartbeat. He knew the baby was going to replace him as soon as he got the chance. So Patrick took the chance away from him. It was so easy too; holding the baby’s head down against its pillow had been simple. The thing struggled of course, but even though Patrick was only five years old, it never stood a chance.

The information over baby Avery’s death spread like wildfire across the small town of Derry. Even then, no one dared speak their suspicions of Patrick’s involvement too loudly. This wasn’t the first time there’d been a death near the boy. Family pets often went missing and turned up dead days later due to suspicious circumstances. But none had been directly linked to the young Hockstetter so there was nothing to be done. There was no doubt though, in anyone’s mind, that Patrick was responsible. It was abundantly clear to everyone, except for his parents. They remained in denial over the whole thing; even going as far as to not even acknowledge that they’d had a second son. But Patrick knew better. He’d caught them both standing in the baby’s room, by the crib on several occasions. He thinks he should feel guilty over the whole thing, but guilt and remorse were emotions that Patrick just wasn’t born with. In fact, it took a lot for him to feel much of anything. But the Hanscom girl, she wasn’t like anyone else. She made him feel things, emotions he didn’t think he’d ever experience. And that made her dangerous.


	16. IT Brought Them Together

After everyone was patched up the other boys slowly creep around Ben and Lexi who had joined her brother on the truck bed. They wanted to hear what happened to him, and Patrick too. Lexi sighs, now that everyone was taken care of, and she was sure no one would randomly keel over and die- mainly Patrick, Lexi knew she had some explaining to do. So she hopped up next to Ben and waited patiently for everyone to find a good spot around them so she could start her story. It took Richie a particularly long time because he wanted to be front and center but none of the others wanted the view of his back for the entirety of the story. They squabble amongst themselves until finally they settle their argument and turn to listen to the elder female. But before she has the chance to begin, the younger female of the group causes a distraction. When Beverly wandered her way over to sit on Ben’s other side, the love struck boy was unable to handle it. He swallowed loudly and ended up choking on his own spit. The coughing fit that took over his chubby frame was intense.

Richie pops to his feet and immediately begins slapping her brother roughly on the back. “Good lord man, did Satan just fly inside your body? What the fuck happened to you?”  
Ben continues coughing, completely unable to reply, but his face flushes dark crimson; it was clear that everyone knew exactly what happened to him. After several more minutes of Ben struggling for life, he manages to take a deep breath and the choking ceases. Though slightly irritated, Lexi claps her hands together, “Well then…. I’ll start from the beginning.”

When the elder Hanscom had finished her tale, she looks at each member of the Losers club; all but one had the same expression on their faces. Even Ben was struck speechless, as this was the first time he was hearing about the sewers. Their jaws were hanging open, eyes wide, and fear mingled with the shock on their faces; all of them looked this way except Beverly. The red head is just sitting next to Ben looking incredibly amused since she had already been told. All the boys were in such shock that none noticed that Stanley in particular had turned incredibly pale. They all seem to be struggling. What Lexi had told them was…. unbelievable to say the least. But they’d all gotten a look at Patrick and his condition wasn’t caused by anything around Derry. Stanley was in deep contemplation over whether he should share his brief but truly scarring interaction with the flute lady. He suspected that it was the same creature that had targeted him. But in the end, it’s Ritchie who speaks first.  
“So killer clown huh? Does this thing only go after virgins or something? Cuz I haven’t seen it.”  
Stanley rolls his eyes, using the others comment as an excuse to push the event from his mind, “If that’s the case then you’ll be next Ritchie.”  
The group hears a snort from inside Lexi’s truck and all eyes shift to Patrick as he gingerly slides from the front passenger seat.  
“Are you implying I’m a virgin Tozier?” He asks. His tone is intimidating, but the grin forming on his lips gives him away. He’s messing with the younger boy. But Ritchie stammers and backs down immediately regardless. 

Patrick chuckles as he slowly makes his way to the group. He leans against the side of the truck, only his hip making contact with the metal frame. He was hurting, bad, and Lexi could tell. Even though some of his color had returned, he was still weak. She slides from her spot, shooing the younger kids away from her vehicle.  
“I need to take Patrick home. You lot are good to get yourselves home as well right?”  
Everyone nods, except Ben. His bike was still at the library. But he knew he’d regret asking for a ride, the library was right around the corner. No way would Lexi take him; she'd just tell him he should have listened in the first place again. The other boys tell Ben they’ll go to the library with him though, and that makes him smile. Then as everyone gets ready to leave, Bill speaks up. “T-tomorrow we’re g-ggoing to t-the Quarry, you g-guys should c-come.” He looks at the siblings, Beverly, and then nervously to Patrick and the older boy raises a brow. He’s definitely surprised, but doesn’t say anything.  
Beverly smiles, “Ok, thanks. I’ll think about it.” She looks to Ben, “Bye Ben from soch.” Beverly turns and walks away, still smiling. 

As Lexi and Patrick get into her truck, she can’t help but think about what Bill had offered. Clearly he had invited Patrick; Bill had looked right at him and gave the offer right in front of him. Lexi was surprised. “Do you want to go?” She asks, turning the key in the ignition. As she waits for him to answer, Lexi swipes a couple cigarettes from her pack.  
“Where?” Patrick asks with a snort and gratefully takes the offered nicotine. He knew where, but he wanted her to say it. He wanted her to invite him to the Quarry. Lexi lights her smoke and passes her lighter to him.  
“To the Quarry Patrick, do you want to go? I’d come get you.”  
He shrugs while taking a long drag off the stick. “I guess. Thanks for the invite Hanscom,” he says, flashing a grin in her direction.

Lexi rolls her eyes and exhales the smoke. “You’re welcome, Hockstetter. Now where the hell do you live?”  
Patrick chuckles, “The quickest way is taking Neibolt street, I live by the little shit with the fanny packs.”  
Lexi snorts as she turns the steering wheel but didn’t say anything. She had so many questions for him now that the sketchy shit was over with. And as usual, Patrick could tell. She could feel his eyes on her, waiting for her to start. “What are you going to tell your parents?” The question honestly throws Patrick off; he had expected her to question him about what the redhead had started to tell her. Patrick shrugs with his good shoulder, “ My dad won’t be home, but if he is he’ll be in front of the tv and my mom...she won’t see it. I’ll just have to throw this shirt in the garbage outside and they’ll never know.”

Lexi wants to press him for more, but the slight edge to his voice when his mother came up made Lexi hold back. Plus, what Beverly had started to share slid back into her mind, and she wanted it gone. She had plenty more questions for him though, so it was easy to move on. “What are you going to tell Henry and the others about you hanging out with us tomorrow?”  
This time it was Patrick’s turn to snort, “Oh. I won’t be telling them. Actually, I probably won’t see Henry until this shit's healed.” He says gesturing to his many wounds.  
“Why?” Lexi asks curiously as she slows her truck for the upcoming stop sign.  
“Take a right.” Patrick says, pointing. “And because they aren’t those kind of friends. To Henry we’re just intimidating assholes to have at his back. Vic is different, he actually cares, but he’ll also tell Henry all the shit I say.”

The way Patrick talked about his friends made Lexi sad; she knew full well the feeling wasn’t mutual and that Patrick actually didn’t care. But she couldn’t help it. She looks at him, sadness in her eyes and Patrick just responds by rolling his own and pointing at a house close to the end of the street. “It’s the yellow one.”  
Lexi’s eyebrows raise. She wasn’t sure what kind of a house she expected Patrick Hockstetter to live in, but the cute little yellow house with a white picket fence and a flower bed in front of its windows, wasn’t it. “Seriously?”  
“Where did you think I lived Hanscom? An Asylum?”  
She shrugs, “You’re words, not mine.”  
Patrick glares at the girl, who gives him a cheeky grin, as she pulls into the driveway and waits for the truck to stop.  
“I’ll see you tomorrow then I guess.” Lexi says as the boy gets out on unsteady legs.  
“Guess you will.” Patrick replies. He closes the creaky door and walks up to the front door of his house before he turns. “Thanks Hanscom.”  
“Don’t mention it Hockstetter.”

Lexi pulled out of the Hockstetter driveway and took off down the street. Her heartbeat was steadily rising and anxiety threatened to swallow her whole. When she turned the corner, she quickly pulled over and sat in her truck trying not to cry. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the headrest. Everything that happened earlier was hitting her and she was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe. Behind her closed lids images from the sewers flashed. Despite being dry now, she could feel the water again; she could hear her splashing footsteps. The rank scent of decay plauged her nose once more and she could feel the blood running through her hair. She could see the zombies circling them. Suddenly her breathing became even more difficult and she began panting harshly. It felt like the cab of her truck was closing in on her. She could hear the clown giggling and her eyes flew open.

No! No, she would not have a panic attack! She would not let that demented clown monster win. She struggled to control her breathing and once she did, fury replaced the panic. She couldn't let that fucking monster win. Her hands balled into tight little fists which she beat mercilessly against the steering wheel. She could feel her hand bruising from the impact but she couldn't stop. When her knuckle caught the edge and ripped a cut into, Lexi finally gave up. She slumped over the wheel and let her emotions go. Fury dissolved and helplessness took over. Tears flowed freely from her dark eyes and down her cheeks. The stark realization had finally set in; they could have died today.

Patrick had been seriously hurt by the creature, and the same could have happened to her and Ben at the library. What the hell was that...that thing? What in earth could shift its form into so many different things, not to mention it had enough power to control those fucked up sewers. Why had none of the adults done anything about it or even mentioned it? And why was it going after them and not the adults? She had so many questions and absolutely zero ways to get answers. But she did know without a doubt in her mind she’d be seeing it again. Lexi lifted from her steering wheel and wiped her eyes. She lit a cigarette and took a long drag. She had to get answers, the promised herself as she threw the truck into drive, and she would be ready for her next encounter with that thing.

By the time Lexi pulled into the driveway of her Aunt's house, her brother's bike was already in its spot on the lawn. She smashed her lit cigarette in the ashtray, checked the windows to see if anyone was peeping out to see her arrival, and got out of her truck. She was extremely thankful the neighbors were not outside. Her bloody clothes were in a ball tucked under her arm. She hoped she’d be able to make it to the bathroom unnoticed because her hair was still covered in red. She opened the front door and made a run for it, the door slammed behind her and she yelled a quick greeting to whoever was hard at work in the kitchen. The bathroom door was thankfully open and she rushed inside, and immediately spun on the spot to close and lock herself inside. She rid herself of all her bloody clothes and turned on the shower. As she waited for it to warm, she looked in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot from crying, her skin pale, and hair a matted mess with a dark red tinge at the ends. What must the pharmacist have thought? She wondered this while giggling quietly. 

Once in the shower, Lexi felt herself relax. The warmth from the water was calming her anxiety and clearing her head. There was no doubt in her mind that everything that happened earlier was real, but all of that was shoved aside, just for the moment. She didn't want to dwell on it anyone. For now, she let her mind wander, and it immediately went to Patrick. Not his injuries, not what he went through in the tunnels, but just about the boy himself. Beverly had been adamant on warning Lexi to stay away from him, but he’d been nice to her, helped her, so he wasn’t all bad. Right? She honestly couldn’t decide. The fact that the other boys were scared of him, most of the school was scared of him if she was being honest, was hard to ignore. The teachers treated him with kid gloves; tney allowed him to do whatever he wanted in class. When he did something the teachers couldn’t ignore, they sent him directly to the Principle instead of dealing with him themselves. All of this pointed to him being someone to avoid, to fear even, but she knew it wasn’t going to happen. She was too attracted to him and the mystery surrounding Patrick Hockstetter.

She grabbed the shampoo bottle from the ledge and squirted a decent amount into her hand before starting the long process of getting clean as she continued to think. He was attractive, and he’d helped her, reluctant as he was at first. Lexi had suspicions it had been to distract her from keeping his bully buddies at bay. But...he had continued even after it was obvious mullet and the other two cronies had lost Ben. So why keep helping her look? Hell, he had even stepped in between her and Henry. She knew his comment towards Henry earlier at the Barrens was for her sake. He’d made Henry mad at him, instead of focusing on her. It was his way of protecting her without allowing the other to know he was. She just hoped there wouldn’t be repercussions. But she couldn’t help but snort as she rinses her hair. Of course there would be repercussions, Bowers was a giant douche. It also seemed though, that the leader of the Bowers gang was nervous around Patrick. Sure he’d acted tough when Patrick said that shit to him; but if he was truly that angry at him, wouldn’t he have hit him? She leans into the warm spray from the shower head and thinks back to  All he’d done was get in his face, and she’d seen the embarrassment. But she’d also seen the fear.

So if Patrick was psychotic and as messed up as everyone- himself included, made him out to be.... why would he go into the sewers with her? It couldn't have only been to get into her pants. Even to her that shit wasn't worth a good fuck; she would have left a bitch behind and found another person to screw. So what motivated Patrick? A knock on the door pulls Lexi from her thoughts. She jerks, making the water spray directly into her face making her sputter and she looks at the door completely disoriented from the sudden water assault. Rinsing the rest of the suds from her hair she stepped from the shower and wraps a towel around her body. She’s sure it’s her brother but calls out nonetheless, “Who is it?” Lexi hears a throat clear.  
“It’s Ben, can I please come in Lexi? I won’t look, I promise.”

Lexi chuckles and unlocks the door, allowing her brother to enter. His face turns bright pink and he averts his eyes from her towel clad body. Ben sits down on the floor across from the sink and closes his eyes as his sister drops the towel and gets back under the warm spray, yanking the curtain closed to hide herself from view. It’s quiet for several moments, but Lexi can’t help herself, she has questions.   
“The thing that chased us in the library, that was the headless kid you told me about right? From the Ironworks factory that exploded during the Easter Egg hunt.”   
“Yea, that’s why there were eggs on the ground for us to follow.” Ben replied quietly. “It’s like this thing can change what it looks like, since it was something else when you and Patrick saw it in the sewers.”  
Lexi hums in agreement, “Zombies, but they were for Patrick. They barely acknowledged me, even layer against the clown I wasn't even a threat. It didn't even seem to acknowledge me as threat when I was hitting it with the pipe to get it off him.” She hears Ben squeak, he still couldn’t believe she attacked the thing. “It was weird though,” Lexi adds, her voice trailing off at the end as she thinks.  
“What was?” Ben asks curiously.

Lexi bites her lip, debating whether she should mention the little boy that scared Patrick the most. But she trusts Ben, more than anyone else. “None of this is to ever be repeated alright," she comments and when Ben eagerly agrees Lexi continues, "There was a little boy, he was like the leader of all the other zombies, and he clearly had the biggest effect on Patrick. I didn’t think anything of it at the time though. But later, when we were cleaning you guys up, Beverly started to tell me something…”  she hears Ben squeak again, he knows. "Ben?" She prompts but the boy remains silent.   
“Tell me Benjamin.” Lexi orders.  
Ben swallows thickly, “The rumor around school was that….when Patrick was younger...he killed his baby brother.”  
Lexi snorts and yanks the curtain back, making eye contact with Ben. The serious expression on his face throws her off. “Oh….you’re serious.” She says dumbfound.   
Ben only nods.

“Well shit.” Lexi says, having absolutely no idea what else to say. She lets the curtain shut and she robotically rubs conditioner into her hair. Well hell, what would someone think about that? It wasn't true right? How could Patrick do something like that but be willing to help someone he doesn't know? Why would he kill his brother but protect her from Henry? Lexi yanked at her hair. This was all way too confusing. "He's dangerous sis," Ben's soft voice intoned. "So am I when you piss me off," she shot back. She heard Ben shake his head. "There's a difference and you know it Lexi. Patrick...he's...he's just off. He likes bullying and hurting people. You don't." Lexi made a noncommittal noise. She may not go out of her way to bully someone, but she wasn't a saint. Case in point, she hadn't called out to the losers earlier at school. She'd watched with amusement as Bowers and his gang terrorized them. "Nothing I say will change your mind about him huh? I saw the way you treated him back at the pharmacy. You like him," Ben stated. Lexi smirked. "Guess we'll have to see. I dunno how I feel about Hockstetter yet. But you know I can take care of myself baby bro." Ben made a noise of agreement but Lexi didn't have to look to know Ben was wearing a doubtful expression.


	17. IT’s hunting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trying something new.

Pennywise is furious, pacing around in his lair and mumbling to himself, “Silly silly human, foolish little thing. She wasn’t supposed to be there, no she wasn’t.” He’d spent centuries watching humans, learning about them, their fears, how to get into their minds and how to break them. But the tiny whore hadn’t done what she was supposed to. He’d made sure angry boy with the mullet and all of his idiot friends would be able to take her brother without interruption.... what had gone wrong..? The clown thinks, a long bony finger bends and rests under his chin. He runs through the scene at the library, the lanky boy had stayed behind, that wasn’t part of the plan either. He helped her for some reason. The clown twists his lips in a hauntingly evil little grin, “He wants to mate with the little thing!” 

The clowns eyes close with unnatural childlike excitement. He’d figured it out. She shares the boy’s desires. That explains everything, even why she overcame his maze in the sewers. Oh yes, he could use this. She is a strong one, will require his upmost attention and dedication, but it will be worth it. The strong ones are the most delicious, they taste the sweetest when they finally break. And they do break, they always do. Once he learns her deepest fears, her darkest secrets, she’ll be putty in his hands. “Ohhhh yes, you will be a wonderful meal little human.” The clown lets out a laugh, the unnatural twist at the end is demonic, far too low for it to be anywhere near human. The bells on his costume ring as he jumps up and down in child-like excitement. 

He stops abruptly, long and thin legs lock together and his bony finger returns to the underside of his chin as he thinks. He needs to locate her, observe her. “Where do you live little girl?” His arm drops to his side as he zones out of the present to locate her. His left eye goes off on its own adventure, drool pools in his mouth and slides off his full bottom lip in a slippery string. “Ohhhh....” he growls lowly after several minutes, “there you are.” 

He enters the girl’s room and looks around with mild confusion. The girl is a teenager yes? Don’t they favor decorations in their sleeping space? There is none of that here, the walls are completely bare. The only signs of occupancy are the unmade bed and the backpack sitting by the dresser. “Such an odd little human,” the creature thinks as he lifts the single pillow from the bed and sniffs. It’s smells clean, like the stuff humans use when they wash themselves. He puts the pillow down and crosses the room silently to the closet. The door is open just enough for the clown to slip inside. He dissolves into the darkness and waits eagerly for the girls appearance. And he doesn’t wait for long. 

Lexi bursts through the door, a town wrapped tightly around her torso, hair and body still dripping from her shower. She flips on the lights and heads to the dresser to pull out her pajamas. The towel drops and a purr rumbles in the creatures throat. He sees now why the lanky boy wishes to mate with this one. She is truly a prize, he will save her for last. The final meal before his long sleep. His rabbit-teeth press against the dramatic slope of his bottom lip in a smirk, he’s barely able to keep in the excitement. But he knows if he reveals himself now, it’ll become annoyingly difficult to learn her secrets. Theres a knock on the door and the girl quickly returns her towel to her body. “Come in.” 

The door opens and an adult woman enters.  
The clowns lips twist down in a dramatically grumpy frown worthy of a toddler. Adults are nowhere near as fun. His vibrantly blue eyes shift to a dark and haunting gold. How dare this woman interrupt his observation. He scowls, waving a gloved hand at the older woman. Her eyes grow wide for a second before turning hazy and unfocused.  
“I’m sorry dear, I can’t remember what I came in here for.” Her chuckle is monotone, “I’ll leave you be.” She turns and leaves, closing the door behind her. Lexi stares at the closed door in confusion, what was wrong with her mom? She shakes her head and drops her towel onto the bed. She was exhausted and had a full day of plans tomorrow, it’s time to get some sleep. 

When the girls breathing slows, Pennywise slides out of the closet. He shuffles over to the end of the bed and leans over to examine the girl more closely. Her mind is full of the days events, the fear and anger slipping into her dreams. Pennywise inhales deeply through his nose, “Tasty, tasty beautiful fear.” He moans quietly, creeping around to the side of the bed and leaning over the small girl. He can’t help himself, he has to play with her. He places a gloved hand on her shoulder, “wake up tiny child.” He purrs.  
Lexi’s eyes slide open, “Patrick?”  
“Yes sweet thing,” Pennywise coo’s, “I want to thank you for saving me.” He sit down on the edge of the bed, the hand on her shoulder sliding up to her cheek.  
“H-how did you get in here?” Lexi asks, her voice still thick with sleep, “did you break into my house?”  
Pennywise giggles, “No of course not silly girl. You’re dreaming.”  
“I am?”  
The clown nods enthusiastically, “Yes, yes just a dream!”

Lexi’s face scrunches, she’s confused. “It doesn’t feel like I’m dreaming.” Penny’s eyes shift to gold and he quickly turns his face to the side, a low growl slips past his lips. The girl is strong, stubborn.  
Lexi’s eyes go wide, “wha-“ the clown swoops in, claiming the girl’s lips in a fierce kiss and the girl instantly melts. Her mind goes blank. She doesn’t question when his tongue slide into her mouth. Or even when his hand slides under her shirt and tweaks a hardening nipple. She’s still half asleep and what he’s doing to her just feels so good. When the lips are removed she whimpers quietly, leaning up to chase his lips, “shhh shhh,” the clown coo’s, he can’t resist, "You want me don't you?" Lexi nods and the clown smiles mischievously, it's a smile that makes his eyes shine brightly. He holds back a giggle to ask the girl another question. “Well then, tell me human,” Lexi looks up at the clowns face- Patrick’s face, confused but he just smiles even wider, “have you ever been fucked by a god?” His smile widens an impossible amount and his teeth turn sharp and deadly. And when she looks into his eyes, they aren’t the eyes of Patrick, they’re the eyes of the clown, golden and glowing. 

Pennywise cackles, copying the look of true horror on the girl’s face. Her fear is delectable! He lunges at her playfully, pretending to chomp on her shoulder but stopping just short of contact. But then the girl had to ruin their playtime. She balls her hand into a fist and delivers a mean right hook to the clowns face. He recoils in surprise and shakes his head. This allows the girl to take a deep breath and let out a truly impressive scream. The clown knows they won’t be left alone much longer. His face scrunches with annoyance, his nose wrinkling in his displeasure, over their time being cut short, “It has been fun little human,” he growls, “I will see you soon.” He blows the terrified and confused girl a loud, wet, lip smacking kiss right as the bedroom door opens. “Oh! The fatty fat one is faster than I thought!” He guffaws.  
“What the fuck?” Ben shouts, dropping the bat he’d brought with him. Pennywise chortles and then disappears with a wave of his gloved hand and the chime of bells.  
Lexi sighs and looks to her brother, her head dropping back to the bed in relief, “Do you even play baseball?”


	18. Why is IT Here?

Patrick was right; he usually was when it came to his parents. His father was in the living room. The man is sitting in their lazy boy and zoned out in front of the tv. The lights were off and the small tv was glowing and flashing brightly as the show he'd been watching switched to a coke commercial. His mother was in Avery's room, doing fuck knows what. If Patrick had to guess, she was probably just standing in front of the dusty old crib like she usually did. In other words, neither of them paid Patrick any mind when he walked into the house. His father didn't even look up as he passed him. Didn’t even acknowledge that his son never came home after school Not that Patrick minded; in fact he preferred it this way. He detested the thought of having his parents in his business. So, this made it more than easy to make it all the way up to his room without being disturbed. 

He was fucking exhausted and wanted nothing more than to just fall onto his bed and pass out. But he was gross, knew he was because he felt utterly gross, and knew he’d never be able to sleep feeling this way. Not to mention his mind was swarming with all the ridiculous shit that happened earlier so sleep would only come after he had a chance to calm his mind. He needed to relax and nothing would be better to help him do that than a shower. Baring his teeth and preparing himself for the oncoming pain, he carefully pulled his injured arm out of the bloody, shredded remains of his grey tank. He tossed it directly into the small trash can by his bed with a grunt of disgust. Blood stained pants soon followed and then he walked as quietly as he could into the bathroom across the hall. 

Showering was far more difficult than Patrick cared to admit. He didn’t want to get the bandages wet, so not only did he have to keep them away from the spray, but he could only use one hand to clean his entire body. He knows the cleaning job will be mediocre at best but he’s too goddamn exhausted to care. His bed is screaming his name and the second he’s out and somewhat dry, he returns to his room and falls into bed. He’s asleep almost instantly.

————————

When Lexis alarm goes off, she feels as if she hadn’t actually slept at all. The visit from the clown had seriously fucked her up. She feels the warmth of a body laying next to her and momentarily forgets how to breath, but the quiet snuffle from said body instantly relaxes her. She carefully switches sides and comes face to sleeping face with her little brother. Ben had hopped into bed with her after the clown incident and in all honesty, she was incredibly grateful. But due to the fact that neither of them could exactly be considered as thin, there was a considerable lack of space on her double bed. She nudges her sleeping brother and quietly whispers his name, “Ben, wake up.”  
Ben’s eyes fly open, “What? Is it back?” Ben rolls over, intending to pick up the bat he’d left next to the bed but instead, disappears. He hits the floor with a loud “thunk” and an even louder groan.  
Lexis hand flies up to her mouth in a sad attempt to hide her laughter, “I’d give that a 5 Ben, you forgot to tuck and roll.”  
The boys cheeks turn pink but he’s laughing as well, “Shut up Lexi.” 

Lexi stands and offers her hand out to Ben, “Let’s get ready, we have a big day ahead of us.” Her brother nods and silently leaves the room. The girl can’t help but smile. Ben is honestly the best brother a girl could ask for. He stayed with her all night and then didn’t try to find out what had happened, knowing she’d come to him when she’s ready to talk. And she would talk to him, she always did. Ben knows everything about her and she thinks she knows everything about him. They trust each other, it’s them against the world. Always has been, always will be. God she loves her brother.

Patrick wakes up to the suspicious face of his mother hovering over him. Her lips are pursed and when she yanked the sheets off his lanky body her eyes fill with rage. “Were you ever planning on telling me about this?” she snapped, gesturing to his heavily bandaged and bruised body. The boy's nostrils flared as he sat up and glared at the woman. She doesn't look concerned, just extremely angry. The Hockstetter matriarch most likely thought he'd just gotten into another fight. He shook his head, “Nope.” Her glare instensifies as he gets out of bed and brushed by her to get to his closet. “Do you need something, or did you just want to watch your teenage son get dressed?” His mother's face goes from angry to mortified then back to angry in the blink of an eye. She ‘huffed’ and turned her back on her son. As she’s walking to the door, she tells him, “There’s a girl sitting in our driveway. Her truck is an eyesore. Please get ready quickly; I don’t want the neighbors to see it.” Patrick chortled, “Well, you didn’t want a dead child either, mother. So clearly we don’t always get what we want.”  
Mrs. Hockstetter shouted in dismay and rushed from the room. Thankfully, his father’s at work or he’d have several more bruises to add to his collection.

When Patrick gets downstairs, his mother is nowhere to be found and the obnoxiously loud truck is still roaring in the driveway. Perfect. He walks across the living room and right out the front door without a word. Patrick noticed the girl bobbing her head to whatever song that's on; she's completely oblivious to the judgy eyes his neighbors could be giving her. As he walked closer she looked up, turned the volume down slightly and perked a brow at him. He climbed in and is greeted by a single head nod from Lexi.  
“Took you long enough Hockstetter. Had to get your makeup just right huh?”  
Patrick sneers but there’s no real malice to it, “Shut up Hanscom.” She chuckled, passed him a cigarette, lit her own, and threw the truck into drive. Patrick smirked as the engine roared and imagined his mom's angry face because of it. He propped his boots on the dash, took a deep inhale of nictone, and directed Lexi toward the quarry.

When they arrived at the quarry, they’re met with 5 almost naked boys. They're all in matching pairs of tighty whities. Their backs were to the duo as they  attempted to spit loogies off the edge of the cliff and into the green water beneath. It was Richie who went first; his throat clearing was obnoxiously loud, but somehow he managed to clear the rock. He chuckled, proud of himself and insisted on making little comments as the other boys each take their turn. When Eddie goes, his gets no distance at all and it lands right in front of his feet.  
“Oh my god that was terrible,” Richie said, readjusting his glasses, “I win.”  
“You won?” asked Eddie in disbelief.  
“Yea, it went the farthest. It’s by distance.”  
“What? Did you see my loogie?”   
“Yea it hit your feet.” Richie scoffed. Eddie shook his head.  
“Mass. It’s always been mass.”   
Richie stammered, “What the, what is mass?” His arms fly out in disbelief.  
“Who cares how far it goes? It matters how cool it looks.” Eddie explained.   
Bill cuts them off, “Okay alright we get it. Now who’s first?” All five boys looked over the edge of the cliff; none were volunteering. 

The boys hadn't yet noticed the duo standing off to the side as their attention is focused on the pretty substantial drop between the edge of the cliff and the water beneath.  
Patrick chuckled quietly and leaned over to whisper in Lexi’s ear. “Who do ya think will go first?” Lexi shrugged as she tried to ignore the teen's closeness and slipped her sundress up over her head. It dropped to the ground right as Beverly pulls up on her bike. The redhead lets it drop to the ground and unbuttoned her own dress, wearing nothing but a bra and underwear beneath. She makes eye contact with Lexi, who is also wearing nothing but a bra and panties. “Oh I like your hair,” Lexi said surprised at the new cut. It’s short now, and curly. It looked perfect on the red head. “We’ll go!” Beverly cried happily, a fete done right after mouthing a thank you, and grabbed Lexi's hand. The boys all spin on the spot. Ben smiled cheerfully at the two females and waved as they run. 

The boys followed them with their eyes, looks of disbelief in them, when the girls fly past and jumped right off the edge of the cliff.   
“Woaaa!” Stanly decladed in awe.   
“What the fuck?” a baffled Richie shouts, “We just got shown up by girls!”  
“Yep,” Patrick quipped, walking into their line of sight. “You better jump fast, pussies.” The younger boys glanced at the edge again.   
“Come on!” Beverly shouted from the water. The looks on all their faces is priceless; the little one -Eddie- might actually shit himself from fear. Smirking, Patrick stalked forward and one by one, each boy jumps off the cliff. 

Patrick is left alone on the cliff. He could swim if he wanted, it would hurt for a while, but it can’t be that bad right? The fat fucker jumped right in and he’s banged up too. No, he just doesn’t want to; he’d much rather watch the Hanscom girl. She stripped and jumped right off the cliff without a thought; she’s unlike any girl Patrick has ever known. He can’t get enough of her. Lexi is kind yet sassy with a mouth that puts Richie to shame sometimes. She didn't give a fuck about how the rest of Derry viewed her; if she did her choice of vehicle would be much more sedate. But most importantly, she was not terrified of him at least not like everyone else is. He followed a narrow dirt path down the side of the cliff to the rocky alcove below where the losers had placed their towels and bags. He sat down on a particularly large and flat stone while the much smaller one in front gets used as a footrest. He watches the losers laughing, playing, and having a truly fantastic time. He noticed Lexi making her way over to him. Only her head is visible above the water.  
“Get in!” she shouts playfully.  
Patrick snorts, “And ruin all your hard work?” he asked, pointing at his bandaged shoulder.

Lexi rolled her eyes but knows a lost cause when she sees it. She swam back to the others and a very intense game of chicken is soon underway. Beverly’s hands are locked with Richie’s and so far it’s a tie. Lexi hovered next to her brother, both enjoying the show. Though it’s clear the reasons behind their enjoyment are entirely different. Her brother's crush on the fiery red head is obvious to say the least. The battle continues until a draw is called due Eddie nearly having a panic attack. His fearful shrieks wake a dozing Patrick who sat up quickly and scanned the area with wide eyes. From the sound of it, he was sure either Lexi or Beverly was being brutally murdered. “What the hell’s going on?” he yelled to the group. Bill and Stanly disappeared under the water briefly as they put down their chicken partners and then all eyes turn to Eddie. The boy was ghostly white. Richie looked extrenely concerned which made Lexi notice. “S-something touched my foot," he sputtered fearfully.

Even though no one says it out loud, all thoughts immediately go to the strange creature that had been harassing them mercilessly. Bill disappeared beneath the water once again, searching for the source of Eddie's panic. He popped up a few seconds later and wiped the water from his face with a sigh. He points to Eddie, “It’s a turtle. It’s just a turtle.” Everyone groans in relief, but Bill can’t hide the slight disappointment in his voice; he knows the creature took his brother, and he wants to find it.  
   
The kids all exit the lake and climb their way onto the rocks to dry off. Beverly and Lexi both lay out towels to sunbathe and the male losers stare at them in awe. Ben's cheeks are bright pink; he's embarrassed that he’s can't take his eyes off the red head, but also chagrined because the others are looking at his sister. The music in the background does nothing to fill the awkward silence brought on by the losers staring. Both girls grin and chuckle quietly as the boys grow more entranced by their bodies. Beverly finally lifts her shades up to her forehead and looked up which made all the boys immediately shift their gazes to anywhere but at the girl. She rolled her eyes at Lexi who chortled in amusement. But something about Richie's stare feels off to the elder girl; she can't place her finger on why that feeling is brought on however.  
   
The terrible rap music the losers have playing makes it almost impossible for Patrick to continue his nap. He sat up with a scowl, but his attention shifts right to the sunbathing duo. The difference in age is apparent between the two. While Beverly is filling out nicely, she still has the chub of a young girl. Her curves were still rounded in youth and not as defined as the elder. Lexi though, has those well defined curves, toned legs, and her tits...Patrick has to look away or risk embarrassing himself. He watched Richie cross over to sit next to Ben; his attention focused on the fat fuck's backpack sitting between his legs.   
“News flash Ben, school's out for summer!” the scrawny freak announced in a surprisingly good radio voice. He yanked the bag over and began rummaging through its contents. He pulled out a postcard while giggling madly. “Who gave you this?”  
Ben turned scarlet, “What? No one, give it back.” He snatched the card from Richie but the boy is undeterred. 

Richie continued to go through Ben’s bag and soon pulled out a folder filled with printed pages of Derry's colorful past. “What’s with the history project?” Richie asked, passing the folder to Bill. Ben glanced up.  
“Oh that’s all my stuff about Derry...when I first moved here I didn’t really have anyone to hang out with, so I went to the library.” Ben admitted a tad sheepishly.   
“You went to the library? On purpose?” Richie's mind is blown. But one look from Lexi makes him quiet down. Patrick smirked at the warning look that elicited a slightly fearful one from the talkative loser.  
“Oh I wanna see” Beverly declared as she gets up and sat next to Bill. He blushed as the girl leaned in close to read what’s on the first page. Bill can’t help but look to the girl and it is evident he is growing nervous at her closeness.   
“Y-your hair,” He stutters. Beverly touched the short strands self consciously.   
Ben spoke up before Bill can finish. “Your hair is beautiful Beverly,” he complimented with a wide grin. The younger girl smiled happily.

Richie took the folder back and skimmed through the papers. “Why is it all murders and missing kids?” Ben shrugged as if the answer is obvious from the information laid out in black and white. "Derry isn’t like any other town I’ve been in. There was a study done here once that said people die or disappear 6 times the national average here and that’s just grown ups. The kids are worse...way, way worse.” The losers all exchanged looks; they’ve heard things about people going missing, how could they not? But what Ben just told them, it’s a terrifying slap of reality. Ben doesn’t stop there though, “I’ve got more stuff if you wanna see it.” Lexi rolled her eyes as the losers all nod eagerly. Guess they’re all taking a trip to the Hanscom house.

The boy's scrambled to collect their things as the elder Hanscom got up off her towel. She stretched her arms above her head and hides her grin when she catches Patrick staring. The girl groaned at the long uphill walk and motioned for Patrick to join her. He eased off the rocks as the girl reaches his side. Lexi and Patrick walked up to her truck while the others all return to their bikes; they’d agreed to meet at the house. When Patrick gets in the truck, Lexi turns to him.  
“You didn’t say much.”   
Patrick shrugged and lit a cigarette for the girl then himself. “Wasn’t much for me to say. Plus they’re all still fucking terrified of me.”  
Lexi shrugged, “I guess. But don’t you think being nice to them would help them warm up to you?”  
Patrick looked at the girl with an amused expression, “Do I really look like the type of person who’s nice to people?” Lexi pulled onto the road and snorts, “No Hockstetter, no you don’t.”


	19. IT’s playing

The group file into the Hanscom house with Ben in the lead and Lexi at the rear with Patrick. They walk to the back and pile into boys bedroom. The walls are covered in black and grey pictures, old newspaper articles and missing posters.  
“woah woah woah... wow..” Richie says in surprise.  
“Cool huh?” Ben replies proudly.  
“No. no, nothing cool.” Lexi glares at the bespectacled boy with annoyance.  
All the losers walk around, eyes trained on the walls. All except Richie seem genuinely curious about what they’re looking at. 

Stanley points to one of the papers, “What’s that?”  
“Oh, that’s the charter for Derry Township. Derry started as a beaver trapping camp.” Ben explains.   
Richie chortles, “Still is. Am I right boys?” His hand is raised for a high five but is quickly pulled down by Stanley.   
Ben continues his explanation, “91 people signed the charter that made Derry. But later that winter, they all just disappeared without a trace.” The others all turn to him, even Patrick appears interested now.  
“The entire camp?” Eddie asks in disbelief.  
“There were rumors of Indians, but no sign of an attack. Everybody just thought it was a plague or something. The only clue was a trail of bloody clothes leading to the Well House.”  
“Jesus, we can get Derry on an episode of Unsolved Mysteries.” Richie chuckles nervously.  
“W-where was the Well House?” Bills voice is desperate, it could be a clue.  
Ben shrugs, “I don’t know. Somewhere in town I guess.”  
“Why...?” Lexi asks suspiciously.  
Bill shrugs sheepishly, “N-no reason.”  
Lexi and Patrick exchange knowing looks, Bill was clearly plotting.

The loser split up after that, everyone returning to their houses for the remainder of the afternoon. Patrick walks to the door, assuming he was to head home as well but Lexi pulls him back, “You uh, you don’t have to go. Unless you need to of course.”  
Ben looks at his sister, his tongue popping out in disgust and the girl glares.  
Patrick shrugs, “I be gone the whole week and my parents wouldn’t notice.”  
Lexi blushes, “I don’t know about the whole week, but maybe for the night.”  
A grin twists the boy’s lips, “That would definitely be ok.”   
Lexi grabs his hand and leads him to her bedroom. 

The girl sat down on her bed and shyly smiled. A soft chuckle left her when she noticed Patrick looking about the barren room. “It’s empty, I know. Probably not what you're expectin but this is my aunt's house; we’re living with her. Our dad left us and we couldn’t afford to live in the city anymore. So here we are. I just haven't had the energy or time to do something with it to be honest.”  
Patrick nodded, “I think I like this better than your brother's room.” He sat down on the bed next to Lexi and crossed one long leg over his knee.   
The girl laughed, “Yea, I didn’t know it was like that. I thought he just did a little bit of research. That was uh....that was something else.” Patrick shrugged.  
“He might be on to something though. There’s clearly something going on in this town.” His face grew serious and he looked at the girl. “It’s cool that you helped me Hanscom.”  
The girl rolled her eyes. “Is that your way of saying thanks?” Patrick nodded and the girl's grin grew wide. “You’re welcome.” Lexi rubbed at her forehead and grimaced at the slightly sticky feel from the water drying on her at the quarry. 

She took a deep breath to prepare herself, it’s time she told him about what had happened the previous night. “It uh.....IT visited me.” Patrick’s eyes grew wide but he remained silent, wanting her to continue. “It looked like you, I thought it was you. When it talked it used your voice.”  
“Fuck.” Patrick’s tone is a combination of anger and concern, “What....what did it do?”  
Lexi rubs her arm and looks away in embarrassment, “It um....it kissed me. A lot.”  
“So you made out with the clown, that’s what you’re telling me?” Patrick says in disbelief, “Was it a good kisser?”   
Lexi slaps the boy on the arm, “I can’t believe you’re asking me that!”  
“Uh huh, so that means yes.”  
Lexi scoffs, "I'm gonna change." The boy nodded and she hopped up from the bed. Both of them chuckling.

Lexi used her closet to change into pajamas; it was nothing more than a tank top and soft shorts. The girl finger combed her hair and chewed her lip. She’s very aware that there’s a boy waiting for her on the bed and she can’t help but feel a little nervous. She gave herself a little pep talk in her mind, so Patrick doesn't hear, and left the closet. A grin formed on her face when she spied the male; he’s laying on her bed, his good arm behind his head and legs crossed at the ankle. He’d taken off his boots and placed them next to the bed along with his shirt. Her eyes roamed quickly over his exposed torso. His eyes are closed but she knows he’s not sleeping when an eyebrow raises. “You about done checking me out Hanscom?” he asked playfully. Lexi smirked. "Gonna tell me to stop Hockstetter? I'm quite enjoying the view and you seem too comfy to move out of the way so I can't." She walked around the bed and settled next to him. The girl stretched out alongside him and propped herself up on her elbows. She leaned down so her lips barely brushed his ear. "Plus I think you wanted me to check you out; why else would you have shed your shirt so quick hmm? " she teased. 

Patrick smirked and lazily opened one eye. The other soon followed and he shamlessly took in her appearence. Patrick smirked and snaked an arm around her waist. His large hand cupped one ass cheek and hefted her closer so that she was cuddled against him. "Wait your ar-"   
"Chill Hanscom. Pain won't bother me." Lexi glared but settled her arm over his chest, rested her chin upon it to look up at him. His hand never left its place on her ass and since she didn't protest further, he kept it there. "S'not that. I know it doesn't. I'm worried about you reopening it and bleeding on my bed," she said.   
Patrick chuckled. “I guess you’re right. We can save this for another night. But only because I know there’s going to be another night.” Lexi shivers.

Lexi grabbed the blanket from the end of the bed and pulled it up over them as she eased into the waiting cradle of his good arm. She smiled as she laid her head on his chest and relished the fact that his heart was racing just as much as hers. She had not been the only one affected by their little session. His arm wrapped around her waist possessively. "Night Hanscom," he mumbled drowsily. She squished herself closer to him, making his arm tighten, and she returned the sentiment before closing her eyes. The last thought she had before sleep overtook her: that she couldn't believe psycho Patrick Hockstetter was cuddling with her as they fell asleep together.

The next morning, Ben rushed into his sister's room fully dressed and ready for the day. “Lexi! We have- oh what the fuck?” He can’t believe his eyes. Words literally are lost to the boy as he drank in the very unexpected sight. Eyes wide and jaw dropped, Ben stated at his older sister who is snuggled up in the arms of the boy who tormented their friends and threatened to hurt him. Said boy is grinning widely at Ben; his eyes gleamed mischievously as he pulled the girl closer. Lexi sighed contentedly and snuggled more into Patrick's chest.  
“You need somethin’ Hanscom?”

Ben glared at the older boy, who is grinning even harder. “Yea. I need you to get your fucking hands off my sister.”  
Patrick rolled his eyes and moved the arm around Lexi's midsection up so he could poke her lightly on the nose. Her face scrunched and it sent her nose twitching from the unexpected touch. She inhaled sharply through her nose and snorted which made Patrick chuckle. Her eyes popped open into a steely glare aimed at the long haired boy. Patrick's chuckle turned into a chortle, “Well good morning beautiful.” Despite her annoyance, the glare softened slightly at his words. Patrick tilted his chin toward the doorway.

Lexi turned in his arms to direct her glare to her brother. Ben still glared fiercely at Patrick. The elder sister huffed in irritation and stretched against Patrick. Her spine popped and she groaned happily before looking back at Ben. “Oh calm down baby brother. What’s up?” Sighing, the younger Hanscom deflated in defeat. The more he glared the more annoyed Lexi would become and an annoyed Lexi was not a good thing. “Stanley, Eddie, Richie, and Bill are waiting for us outside. We need to go see Beverly.” That got the teens' attention.  
Lexi sat up; her face is creased with concern. “Is she okay?” Concern deepens when Ben shrugged. “Stanley said she sounded worried; that’s all I know.” Nodding, Lexi waved her hand toward the door and reluctantly climbed out of bed and away from Patrick's warmth. Patrick watched her disappear into the closet to change as he slipped his shirt and boots on. Minutes later, she emerged fully dressed and brushing her hair. "Think we have a spare toothbrush. Just be quiet, dunno if my mom and aunt are still here," Lexi said. Patrick nodded, the duo finished getting ready, and joined Ben outside.

Patrick and Lexi took the girl's truck after agreeing to meet the others at Beverly's apartment building. They arrived just minutes before the others and Beverly rushed down the many flights of stairs to greet them. She stopped when the other losers' bickering exploded to life.   
Stanley’s irritated voice was the first to be heard. “No, we gotta go through the alleyway." An irritated groan followed. “The ally takes way too long, Stanley,” Eddie replied. But Stanley wasn't done.  
“No the ally is so much faster.” An aggravated noise sounded again.  
“The alley is more dangerous and it’s disgusting.”   
“How is it more dangerous, Eddie?” Stanley replied, his irritation growing even more than before.  
“It smells like piss and it’s gross, just take the side street for once.”  
“Oh my god the side streets are the same. They smell like piss and shit.” Richie cuts in.  
“Ok, ok, can you just tell me what she said exactly, Stanley?” Eddie conceded finally.   
“She didn’t say anything she just said you guys need to hurry over.”

The others finally appeared and stopped their bikes right in front of the worried girl, Patrick, and Lexi.  
“Oh good you made it. I...I need to show you something,” Beverly said fearfully.  
“More than we saw at the quarry?” Richie said curiously. Patrick snorted, covered his mouth with his hand, and looked down at the ground to stifle his laughter. “Shut up! Just shut up Richie,” Eddie snapped.  
“S-so what do you h-have to s-s-show us?” Bill ask’s.  
“My dad would kill me if he found out I brought boys into the apartment,” Beverly said nervously.  
“We’ll leave a look out,” Bill replied quickly before he looked to Richie, “Stay here.” The group started up the stairs behind the red head. “What do I do if he shows up?”  
“Do what you always do,” Stanly said firmly, “Start talking.”  
“It is a gift!” Richie shouted after them; honestly he was upset he was going to miss out on the action for a second time. 

Once inside the dark apartment, Lexi asked what they were here for.  
“My dad couldn’t see it,” Beverly explained.  
“Are you taking us to your bathroom?” Eddie asked nervously. “I just want you all to know that 83 percent of all accidents take place in the bathroom.” Beverly opened the door and Eddie gagged. The entire room was glowing red from the sun coming in through the window and every inch of the bathroom was covered in blood. Beverly looked at the others anxiously.  
“Can you see it?” she asked the group. They all nodded, their mouths were hanging open in amazement and horror. “Like I said before, my dad couldn’t see it. I thought I was going crazy.”  
“Well if you’re crazy, then we’re all crazy.” Ben said quietly.


End file.
